Figure 4.

Vaginal wall outer diameter for the proximal (black) and distal (grey) regions as a function of increasing intraluminal pressure. Basal tone (open) resulted in a leftward shift in the pressure–diameter curve with respect to no tone (filled) denoting decreased vaginal wall diameter (a). Circumferential (b) and axial (c) stresses at the physiological length versus circumferential stretch. The presence of basal tone resulted in a rightward shift, denoting an increase in distensibilty. The absence of basal tone resulted in a more compliant distal region than proximal (d). Basal tone decreased the circumferential (e) and axial (f) tangent moduli at the proximal region. With basal tone, the circumferential tangent moduli were larger than the axial for both regions. Data are reported as mean ± s.e.m. Statistical significance (p < 0.05) is denoted by state *, location † and orientation ¥.