Rupture of an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is potentially lethal. prophylactic surgical repair is therefore warranted when the risk of rupture exceeds the risk of complications following surgery. Aneurysm rupture occurs when the forces (stress) acting on the aneurysm wall surpass aneurysm wall strength. Information on both wall stress and strength might therefore improve rupture risk assessment and patient selection for prophylactic repair. Although aneurysm wall stress calculations are possible, no in vivo method exists to determine aneurysm wall strength. This study was designed to identify possible biomarkers of aneurysm wall strength