t test p gt 0 05 bladder wall specimens were subjected to suture retention testing tissue strips measuring 10 u00d7 5 mm were dissected from the lateral region of the wall of fresh and decellularised bladders along the apex to base direction and mounted onto the titanium holder described above the specimens were mounted so that only one end of the specimen was clamped to the holder one polypropylene suture 4 0 ethicon with 2 mm bite depth was attached to the other end of the specimen the suture was then secured to the upper part of the holder subsequently the holder with the supporting bracket was secured to the howden tensile machine and the bracket was removed the suture was then pulled under uniaxial loading at a rate of 10 mm min and the suture pull out force was recorded there was no significant difference in the ability of fresh and decellularised bladder tissue to retain sutures under force t test p gt 0 05 nor in the amount of pressure required to burst intact fresh or decellularised bladders t test p gt 0 05 fig1 fresh and decellularised whole bladders were subjected to burst testing for this purpose a burst pressure rig was developed fig1 the rig comprised of a pressure vessel which generated the test pressures a pressure gauge for measuring the applied hydrostatic pressures and a container filled with saline which accommodated the bladder under testing pressurised air supplied at a rate of 20 ml s was used to pressurise the vessel which was u00bes filled with saline the inflow.