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Deformation and rupture properties of fetal membranesThe fetal membranes, chorion and amnion, form a ~0.5 mm thin bilayer that serves as barrier and container throughout gestation. Mechanical rupture of membranes is part of the natural sequence of term delivery, but has serious complications when rupture occurs prior to term; spontaneous preterm premature rupture (sPPROM) before 37 weeks of gestation in the absence of labor affects 1-4% of pregnancies and accounts for 30-40% of preterm deliveries. In addition, introduction of needles or fetoscopes into the intrauterine cavity for diagnostic or operative purposes pose a significant risk for persisting membrane leakage and subsequent membrane failure (iatrogenic PPROM). Understanding the deformation and rupture behavior of fetal membranes and the structural response of the membrane bilayer is a necessary foundation for attempts to prevent or to repair PPROM. We perform uniaxial and biaxial experiments on fetal membranes in order to determine constitutive model parameters, and to examine their relation to molecular correlates for mechanical function, i.e. collagen and elastin, determined through biochemical analysis. Fracture mechanics experiments will be performed in the next phase to analyze the relationship between membrane microstructure and rupture properties.
Our data [18p] show an inverse proportionality between soluble elastin and soluble collagen content. Correlations were found between biochemical data and mechanical parameters: there is clearly a direct proportionality between small strain elastic modulus and elastin content. Further, a (less pronounced) direct correlation was observed also between soluble collagen content and the parameter governing the increase in stiffness at larger strains, in the nonlinear mechanical model.
PartnersMahmood Jabareen, Technion Haifa, Israel Andreas Zisch, Ajit Mallik, Claudia Haller, University Hospital Zurich Contact[Top] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
