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This study assessed the long-term effect of vagotomy on the structure and passive mechanical characteristics of the thoracic aorta under a wide range of stresses in vitro. Eight healthy Landrace pigs underwent bilateral vagotomy distal to the origin of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, and 10 pigs were sham-operated. Three months post-surgery, the aorta was excised and specimens from the ascending aorta, arch, and descending thoracic aorta were subjected to histomorphometrical evaluation and uniaxial tensile-testing until failure. Elastic modulus-stress data were plotted and submitted to regression analysis. Structural remodeling after vagotomy was characterized as vascular growth in the ascending aorta and arch, and as thinning in the descending thoracic aorta. In the aortic segments of vagotomized animals, the area density of elastin and collagen was increased, but smooth muscle density was decreased. Similar differences in regression parameters and failure strength between groups were found in all aortic segments, indicating that the vessel wall was stiffer and stronger in vagotomized animals. In the clinical setting, disease states or drugs blocking the regulatory role of the vagi nerves on the aortic wall may have undesirable consequences on the mechanical performance of the thoracic aorta, and therefore on hemodynamic homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]