Ultrasonography Liver and Spleen Dimensions in Children with Malnutrition: A Case-Control Study

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AuthorManijeh Khalilien
AuthorAlireza Teimourien
AuthorMohadeseh Zadehmiren
AuthorAbolfazl Payandehen
AuthorToktam Rahimian Motlaghen
OrcidManijeh Khalili [0000-0001-6754-5011]en
OrcidAlireza Teimouri [0000-0002-8356-4260]en
OrcidMohadeseh Zadehmir [0000-0001-5008-1599]en
OrcidAbolfazl Payandeh [0000-0001-9875-9442]en
Issued Date2026-08-31en
AbstractBackground: Malnutrition may affect the growth and size of visceral organs in children. Objectives: This study aimed to compare ultrasonographic liver and spleen dimensions between children with malnutrition and healthy controls and to determine whether these differences varied by selected demographic and perinatal characteristics. Methods: This case-control study included 194 children aged 3 to 108 months who were recruited from the Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinics of Ali Ibn Abi Talib and Ali Asghar Hospitals, affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, during 2022 - 2023. Ninety-seven children with malnutrition were included as cases, and 97 healthy children were included as controls. Controls were selected from the same clinical setting and matched to cases on age and sex. Malnutrition was classified according to predefined World Health Organization growth criteria. Anthropometric characteristics and relevant perinatal and feeding variables were recorded. Liver and spleen dimensions were measured using standardized ultrasonography performed by a radiologist blinded to participants' nutritional status. Group differences were initially examined using appropriate comparative tests, followed by multivariable analyses to adjust for clinically relevant demographic and growth-related factors. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The study included children with malnutrition and healthy controls. The groups were similar with respect to age, sex, and gestational age, whereas feeding type differed significantly between the groups (P = 0.001). Mean current weight was lower in children with malnutrition than in controls (11,533.9 ± 8,395.3 vs. 15,515.4 ± 10,621.1 g; P = 0.004). The mean liver dimension was 90.5 ± 18.4 mm in the malnutrition group and 82.1 ± 24.9 mm in controls (P = 0.008), whereas the mean spleen dimension was 63.0 ± 21.2 and 69.9 ± 19.9 mm, respectively (P = 0.02). Exploratory subgroup analyses indicated differences in organ dimensions across categories of sex, age, feeding type, birth weight, and gestational age; however, differences between statistically significant and nonsignificant subgroup results were not considered evidence of effect modification in the absence of formal interaction testing. Conclusions: In this clinic-based case-control study, malnutrition was associated with differences in ultrasonographic liver and spleen dimensions. The direction and magnitude of these associations varied according to participant characteristics. Subgroup findings should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than evidence of causal effects or effect modification. Further multicenter prospective studies are needed to establish age- and body-size-specific reference ranges and to determine the clinical significance of ultrasonographic organ dimensions in children with malnutrition.en
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5812/jcp-173321en
URIhttps://brieflands.com/journals/jcp/articles/173321en
KeywordMalnutritionen
KeywordUltrasonographyen
KeywordLiveren
KeywordSpleenen
KeywordChildrenen
KeywordOrgan Sizeen
KeywordCase-control Studyen
PublisherBrieflandsen
TitleUltrasonography Liver and Spleen Dimensions in Children with Malnutrition: A Case-Control Studyen
TypeResearch Articleen

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