Mechanical assessment of bovine pericardium using Müeller matrix imaging, enhanced backscattering and digital image correlation analysis.

Mechanical characterization of tissue is an important but complex task. We demonstrate the simultaneous use of Mueller matrix imaging (MMI), enhanced backscattering (EBS) and digital image correlation (DIC) in a bovine pericardium (BP) tensile test. The interest in BP relies on its wide use as valve replacement and biological patch. We show that the mean free path (MFP), obtained through EBS measurements, can be used as an indicator of the anisotropy of the fiber ensemble. Our results further show a good correlation between retardance images and displacement vector fields, which are intrinsically related with the fiber interaction within the tissue.