Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Aug 27, 2025; 17(8): 109884
Published online Aug 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i8.109884
Changes in liver and spleen stiffness after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and their relationship with prognosis
Xiao-Fang Liu, Xiao-Chun Huang, Qian-Jun Ye, Li-Jing Yuan, Gui-Fang Gao, Jin-Yu Li, Dui-Ping Feng
Xiao-Fang Liu, Xiao-Chun Huang, Qian-Jun Ye, Li-Jing Yuan, Gui-Fang Gao, Department of Ultrasound, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi Province, China
Jin-Yu Li, Dui-Ping Feng, Department of Oncological and Vascular Intervention, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Jin-Yu Li and Dui-Ping Feng.
Author contributions: Liu XF performed research design, draft the manuscript and data analysis; Huang XC draft the manuscript, performed the data collection and performed the statistical analysis; Ye QJ performed the statistical analysis and patient follow-up; Yuan LJ performed the data collection and management; Gao GF performed patient follow-up; Li JY and Feng DP performed research design, helped to draft the manuscript and analytical guidance. All authors have read and approve the final manuscript. Li JY and Feng DP contributed equally to the work and should be regarded as co-corresponding authors. In contemporary academic research, designating two co-corresponding authors is increasingly recognized as a valid and often necessary practice, reflecting the complex and collaborative nature of scientific inquiry. The primary justification lies in accurately representing substantial, distinct, and indispensable contributions to both the project's execution and its communication. Many projects exhibit complementary expertise domains where leadership is genuinely shared. This study represents a collaborative achievement between the fields of ultrasound imaging and interventional medicine, necessitating the allocation of professional tasks by two corresponding authors. Feng DP, an expert in interventional medicine, is responsible for that aspect of the work, while Li JY oversees the ultrasound medicine component. Designating both individuals as corresponding authors clearly indicates their equitable partnership and shared responsibility for the integrity of the work, future correspondence, data oversight, and accountability. This approach transcends traditional single-correspondent models, which might otherwise obscure the true dynamics of collaborative leadership essential for large-scale, interdisciplinary projects. This practice is in line with evolving guidelines, such as those from the ICMJE, which emphasize the importance of substantial contributions, and ensures that authorship fairly reflects the intellectual and logistical leadership that underpins the research.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82200650; Shanxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine, No. 202204010501004; the Precision Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Innovation Base for Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension, No. YDZJSX20231B010; the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province, No. 20210302124282 and No. 202203021212046; the Shanxi Province Higher Education “Billion Project Science and Technology Guidance Project”, No. 2C622024120; and the National Natural Science Foundation of China Supporting Fund, No. Y82200650.
Institutional review board statement: The Institutional Review Board of First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University approved this study (Approval No. K-K112).
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Data can be acquired from the corresponding author.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Dui-Ping Feng, Chief Physician, Department of Oncological and Vascular Intervention, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, No. 85 Jiefang South Road, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi Province, China. fengdp@sxmu.edu.cn
Received: May 26, 2025
Revised: June 17, 2025
Accepted: July 14, 2025
Published online: August 27, 2025
Processing time: 93 Days and 5.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: This study involved 76 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). The stiffness of the liver and spleen was assessed using point shear wave elastography with ultrasonic imaging, which quantifies the sound touch value. The results indicated that spleen stiffness significantly decreased over time following TIPS. Older age and higher liver stiffness were correlated with an elevated risk of mortality following TIPS. In summary, following TIPS, spleen stiffness exhibited a more pronounced change than liver stiffness. Preoperative liver stiffness serves as a prognostic indicator for survival in patients undergoing TIPS.