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 Hepatol. Mar 27, 2026; 18(3): 114768
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i3.114768
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v18.i3.114768
Splenic elastography in cirrhosis: A practical, non-invasive portal hypertension assessment from a Nigerian tertiary center
Habibu Tijjani Saleh, Yusuf Musa, Abubakar Sadiq Aminu, Hafizu Zubairu Abdullahi, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, Katsina 820101, Nigeria
Adamu Alhaji Samaila, Musa Muhammad Borodo, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano 700101, Nigeria
Musa Muhammad Borodo, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Bayero University Kano, Kano 700101, Nigeria
Author contributions: Saleh HT and Musa Y contributed to manuscript concept and manuscript draft; Saleh HT, Musa Y, Aminu AS, Abdullahi HZ, Samaila AA, and Borodo MM contributed in drafting, review, editing the manuscript and served as guarantors. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee of Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina (approval No. FTHKTNHREC.REG.24/06/22C/051). The study adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (2013 revision).
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: All the data from the research is presented in the results; no more data to share.
Corresponding author: Yusuf Musa, MD, Chief Physician, Consultant, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, Murtala Muhammad Way, Opposite Jibia Road, Katsina 820101, Nigeria.
Received: September 28, 2025
Revised: November 5, 2025
Accepted: January 13, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 179 Days and 23.8 Hours
Revised: November 5, 2025
Accepted: January 13, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 179 Days and 23.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Splenic stiffness measurement (SSM) by transient elastography is a promising, non-invasive proxy for portal hypertension in cirrhosis, especially where endoscopy access is limited. In this North-Western Nigerian cohort, SSM was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients and rose with advancing Child-Pugh class. Strong correlations emerged between SSM and indicators of liver dysfunction (bilirubin, international normalized ratio, albumin, platelets), supporting its utility as an objective severity marker. Implementing SSM could streamline risk stratification, monitor disease progression, and alleviate the burden on scarce endoscopic services in low-resource settings, offering a scalable tool for improving clinical decision-making.