elastance

A measure of the tendency of a structure to return to its original form after removal of a deforming force. In medicine and physiology, usually a measure of the tendency of a hollow viscus ( e.g., lung, urinary bladder, gallbladder) to recoil toward its original dimensions upon removal of a distending or compressing force, the recoil pressure resulting from a unit distention or compression of the viscus; the reciprocal of compliance. The relationship between elasticity and e. is of the same nature as that between the specific inductive capacity of an insulator material and the capacitance of a particular condenser made from that material.

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elas·tance (e-lasґtəns) 1. the quality of recoiling without disruption upon removal of pressure. 2. an expression of the ability to recoil without disruption when pressure is removed, such as that of an air- or fluid-filled organ, e.g., the lung or urinary bladder, measured in terms of unit of pressure change per unit of volume change. Symbol E. It is the reciprocal of compliance.