Mechanics of urethral duct: tissue constitutive formulation and numerical modelling with regard to lumen occlusion

The research activity belongs to a general project on the mechanics in urology, with specific reference to bladder, urethra and overall functional response of the lower urinary system. The present work pertains to the mechanics of urethral duct, in consideration of the adoption of artificial sphincteric devices or slings to overcome the incontinence problems. Experimental activity is performed on urethral tissues and also structural test are carried out on the overall urethral duct, to provide constitutive parameters definition within the formulated hyperelastic model. The numerical analysis developed leads to a valid set of results addressed to the definition of the mechanics of urethral lumen occlusion under the action of prosthetic device, stressing the integration with surgical practice.