Diagnosis of MASH

Your healthcare provider will likely perform one of the following blood tests to determine the severity of MASH:

Liver function tests⁴ - detects the level of liver enzymes in the blood and can be used to calculate a risk score called FIB-4, which can hightlight liver inflammation.

Fibrosis assessment tests⁵ - liver scarring tests, which assess the degree of liver scarring and severity of MASH.

Ultrasound, and MRI scans are both used to capture images of the liver and help grade the severity of scarring (fibrosis). The tests below are often used to measure liver stiffness, a typical sign of scarring caused by MASH:

• Transient elastography⁶ - a non-invasive ultrasound test that measures how quickly vibrations move through the liver to evaluate liver stiffness.
• Magnetic resonance elastography⁶ - a non-invasive test combining magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with low-frequency vibrations to create an elastogram (a map showing liver stiffness).

While imaging tests like ultrasound and MRIs, along with blood tests, are most commonly used to assess liver health and screen for potential problems, a liver biopsy has historically been considered a gold standard for diagnosing and determining the severity of MASH⁸.

A biopsy can provide a detailed microscopic view of the liver tissue, offering information that non-invasive tests may not always capture. This detailed analysis can be important for distinguishing between different types of liver disease and assessing the extent of scarring, which can help guide treatment decisions.

However, it's important to acknowledge that liver biopsies are invasive procedures, carrying inherent risks². Today, clinicians increasingly rely on using non-invasive tests for diagnosis, due to their improved accuracy and reduced risk.