Structurally-motivated characterization of the passive pseudo-elastic response of esophagus and its layers.

This paper reports on the implementation of microstructurally-motivated models for material characterization of the passive esophagus and its layers. The principal findings afforded herewith were that the comprehensive model with two- and four-fiber family terms for elastin and collagen fitted more accurately the inflation/extension data of healthy rabbit esophagus than traditional phenomenological models. An analysis of material constant behavior was also performed from which concise, specific models were derived, neither missing essential collagen and elastin structures in mucosa, submucosa, and muscle layers nor being over-parameterized, while providing equally-accurate fits with all the advantages of computational economy and material constant interpretability.