elastance /ilas″təns/ [Gk, elaunein, to drive] , 1. the quality of recoiling or returning to an original form after the removal of pressure. 2. the degree to which an air- or fluid-filled organ, such as a lung, bladder, or blood vessel, can return to its original dimensions when a distending or compressing force is removed. 3. the measurement of the unit volume of change in such an organ per unit of decreased pressure change. 4. the reciprocal of compliance.
