To characterize quantitatively the viscoelastic behavior of strips from cerebral arteries generalized Maxwell models were applied. Specific aim of this study was to test the usefulness of these models, to simulate the stress-relaxation behavior of the vascular wall and to find an adequate method for identification of viscoelastic moduli. An exponential curve fitting was applied to the measured stress-relaxation data. Accuracy of fitting was better in 4 and 5 element models, than in the 3-element one, thus they provide better description of the vascular wall. Although the mechanical models have limited capability for increasing strains of the tissue, they are well usable in simple cases.

Keywords: viscoelasticity, vascular wall, stress relaxation, cerebral artery, Models