Fig 1. Isolation and biomechanical testing of cannulated vessels.

(A) Example of lymphatic tissue excised during cytoreductive surgery along the retroperitoneal vessels. (B) A schematic of the experiments. The vessel was cannulated to a micropipette tip connected to a pressure reservoir at one end and an axial force transducer at the other. Transmural pressure was increased by adjusting the height of the pressure reservoir, and axial stretch was applied using a calibrated micrometer. An example of an image of a cannulated vessel can be seen in the inset. (C) Photograph of the cannulation chamber. This chamber was fixed on top of a stereo light microscope for imaging and measurement of vessel diameter.