{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T22:53:34Z","timestamp":1768949614131,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768867200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) is a common treatment for preventing variceal bleeding in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD). However, its acute hemodynamic impact is typically assessed using invasive methods, and there is data on short-term spleen stiffness (SS) dynamics are limited. This pilot study aimed to quantify short-interval changes in liver stiffness (LS) and SS following EVL using transient elastography (TE), and to explore their associations with clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: This prospective observational study enrolled adults with advanced liver disease undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with or without EVL at a tertiary center. Liver and spleen TE were performed in a fasted state immediately before endoscopy and repeated within 12 h after EVL. Organ-specific probes and predefined quality criteria were used, and non-parametric methods were applied to assess within-patient changes and correlations. Results: Fifty patients were included in the study: 21 underwent EVL, while the remaining 29 underwent diagnostic endoscopies only. The most common cause was alcohol-related liver disease. Within the EVL subgroup, the median liver stiffness (LSM) increased from 27.6 kPa to 45.1 kPa, and the median spleen stiffness (SSM) increased from 59.9 kPa to 98.3 kPa, both within 12 h. While these increases showed a uniform direction, they did not reach statistical significance. A higher baseline SS predicted a greater LS increase, and stiffness measures correlated with creatinine, disease duration, Child\u2013Pugh class, albumin and ascites. Conclusions: Short-term increases in liver and spleen stiffness following EVL are consistent with acute hemodynamic alterations, such as increased hepatic perfusion and splenic congestion, rather than structural remodeling. These findings, beyond changes in stiffness alone, support the feasibility of integrating TE, particularly the measurement of SS, into early peri-procedural hemodynamic surveillance after EVL. They also justify larger studies with serial time points and direct portal pressure validation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15020816","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T09:24:34Z","timestamp":1768901074000},"page":"816","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Acute Changes in Liver and Spleen Stiffness Following Endoscopic Variceal Ligation in Advanced Liver Disease\u2014A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6324-4470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esra","family":"G\u00f6rg\u00fcl\u00fc","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0662-6675","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eva","family":"Herrmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Biostatistics and Mathematical Modelling, Faculty of Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jonel","family":"Trebicka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital M\u00fcnster, Albert-Schweitzer-Stra\u00dfe 33, 48149 M\u00fcnster, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexander","family":"Queck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Georg","family":"Dultz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vitali","family":"Koch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stefan","family":"Zeuzem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"J\u00f6rg","family":"Bojunga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Viola","family":"Knop","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Florian Alexander","family":"Michael","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mireen Friedrich","family":"Rust","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic 1, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S121","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2015.01.003","article-title":"Evolution in the understanding of the pathophysiological basis of portal hypertension: How changes in paradigm are leading to successful new treatments","volume":"62","author":"Bosch","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. 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