Imaging-based modalities compared for identifying at-risk MASH

A study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology has found that FibroScan-aspartate aminotransferase (FAST) has the highest sensitivity for ruling out at-risk metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Researchers Shyna Zhuoying Gunalan and colleagues conducted a systematic review of 20 studies involving 9,480 participants to evaluate the diagnostic performance of imaging-based technologies for at-risk MASH.

FAST demonstrated a sensitivity of 87.1% and a specificity of 56.7% in ruling out at-risk MASH, outperforming other diagnostic methods. Magnetic resonance elastography plus fibrosis-4 had a sensitivity of 81.2% and a specificity of 60.6%, while FAST also showed the best performance in head-to-head analyses. Despite FAST's superior sensitivity, magnetic resonance-based technologies still provide strong evidence for identifying at-risk MASH.