Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 7, 2026; 32(29): 117300
Published online Aug 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117300
Published online Aug 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.117300
Future directions in noninvasive prediction of cirrhosis decompensation: An opinion review
Xin Gao, Dan-Yang Zhang, Yan Wang, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China
Author contributions: Gao X contributed to this work; Gao X and Zhang DY wrote this manuscript; Wang Y revised this manuscript; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
AI contribution statement: No generative AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT) was used to write the scientific content of this manuscript. The only AI-assisted tools used were Grammarly (for grammar and style polishing after the manuscript was fully written by the authors) and DeepL (for initial translation of a few non-English references).
Supported by the Shaanxi Provincial Key Research and Development Plan, No. 2020SF-159.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Corresponding author: Yan Wang, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 157 Xiwu Road, Xi’an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China. sarrye@163.com
Received: December 4, 2025
Revised: February 19, 2026
Accepted: April 22, 2026
Published online: August 7, 2026
Processing time: 225 Days and 19.5 Hours
Revised: February 19, 2026
Accepted: April 22, 2026
Published online: August 7, 2026
Processing time: 225 Days and 19.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The noninvasive model integrating liver stiffness and spleen stiffness has demonstrated high accuracy in predicting clinical decompensation in patients with viral cirrhosis. Future research should prioritize high-risk subgroups, particularly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Standardized protocols for spleen stiffness measurement must be established, and multistate models should be adopted to better characterize disease progression. Future models that combine clinical complexity with radiomics and artificial intelligence-enhanced surveillance may sharpen personalized risk assessment in decompensated cirrhosis.