J. Ohayon et al., MECHANICS OF THE INTESTINAL CONTRACTION, Comptes rendus de l'Academie des sciences. Serie 2, Mecanique, physique, chimie, sciences de l'univers, sciences de la terre, 319(2), 1994, pp. 173-180
A theoretical study is presented to understand the effect of the longi
tudinal electrical depolarization of the smooth muscle cells on the me
chanics of the intestine. Our results show that: (i) the circumferenti
al fibres are the main cause of the non-cylindrical deformed shape of
the intestine, (ii) the mechanics of the intestinal contraction is ver
y sensitive to the Young's modulus of the active fibre and to the musc
ular tone, and (iii) the tissue pressure and the amplitude of the fibr
e strain are maximal near the lumen of the intestine.