Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39865358›Full record

ArticleLiver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver2025

Precision in Liver Diagnosis: Varied Accuracy Across Subgroups and the Need for Variable Thresholds in Diagnosis of MASLD.

Yasaman Vali, Anne-Marieke van Dijk, Jenny Lee, Jerome Boursier, Vlad Ratziu, Carla Yunis, Jörn M Schattenberg, Luca Valenti, Manuel Romero Gomez, Detlef Schuppan and 23 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Liver, ageing and disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025
    Review
  7. Real-World Assessment of Liver Corrected T1 and Magnetic Resonance Elastography in Predicting Liver Disease Progression.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

33 authors.

Yasaman ValiDepartment of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7002-118X
Anne-Marieke van DijkAmsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism (AGEM) Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0831-527X
Jenny LeeDepartment of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4024-0933
Jerome BoursierLaboratoire HIFIH, UPRES EA 3859, SFR ICAT 4208, Université d'Angers, Angers, France.
Vlad RatziuAssistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, ICAN (Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition), Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
Carla YunisPfizer Research and Development, Pfizer Inc, Lake Mary, Florida, USA.
Jörn M SchattenbergDepartment of Internal Medine II, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany.
Luca ValentiDepartment of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8909-0345
Manuel Romero GomezDigestive Diseases Unit, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8494-8947
Detlef SchuppanDepartment of Internal Medine II, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany.
Salvatore PettaSezione di Gastroenterologia e Epatologia, PROMONISE Department, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0822-9673
Mike AllisonLiver Unit, Department of Medicine, Cambridge NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
Mark L HartmanLilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Kimmo PorthanDepartment of Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Jean-Francois DufourCentre Des Maladies Digestives, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Elisabetta BugianesiDepartment of Medical Sciences, Division of Gastro-Hepatology, A.O. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Amalia GastadelliInstitute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2594-1651
Zoltan DerdakGI DDU, Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Celine Fournier-PoizatEchosens, Paris, France.
Elizabeth ShumbayawondaPerspectum, Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0351-2063
Michael KalutkiewiczResoundant, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Hannele Yki-JarvinenDepartment of Medicine, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Mattias EkstedtDepartment of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5590-8601
Andreas GeierDivision of Hepatology, Department Medicine II, Wurzburg University Hospital, Wurzburg, Germany.
Aldo TrylesinskiAdvanz Pharma Capital House, London, UK.
Sven FrancqueDepartment of Gastroenterology Hepatology, and Laboratory of Experimental Medicine and Paediatrics, Antwerp University Hospital, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Clifford BrassNovartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA.
Michael PavlidesRadcliffe Department of Medicine and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9882-8874
Adriaan G HolleboomDepartment of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2911-2917
Max NieuwdorpDepartment of Internal and Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Quentin M AnsteeTranslational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Patrick M BossuytDepartment of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
LITMUS investigators

Funding

The Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking 777377
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsThe performance of non-invasive liver tests (NITs) is known to vary across settings and subgroups. We systematically evaluated whether the performance of three NITs in detecting advanced fibrosis in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) varies with age, sex, body mass index (BMI), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) status or liver enzymes.

methodsData from 586 adult LITMUS Metacohort participants with histologically characterised MASLD were included. The diagnostic performance of the Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4), enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) and vibration-controlled transient elastography liver stiffness measurement (VCTE LSM) was evaluated. Performance was expressed as the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). Thresholds for detecting advanced fibrosis (≥F3) were calculated for each NIT for fixed (high) sensitivity, specificity and predictive values.

resultsDifferences in AUC between all subgroups were small and statistically not significant, indicating comparable performance in detecting ≥F3, irrespective of these clinical factors. However, different thresholds were needed to achieve the same level of accuracy with each test. For example, for a fixed sensitivity and specificity, the thresholds for all three NITs were higher in patients with T2DM. Effects for sex, age and liver enzymes were less pronounced.

conclusionsPerformance of the selected NITs in detecting advanced liver fibrosis does not vary substantially with clinical characteristics. However, different thresholds have to be selected to achieve the same sensitivity, specificity and predictive values in the respective subgroups. Large prospective studies are called for to study NIT accuracy considering multiple patient characteristics.

Indexed as

Elasticity Imaging TechniquesFatty LiverLiver CirrhosisAdultAgedAge FactorsArea Under CurveBody Mass IndexDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2FemaleHumansLiverLiver Function TestsMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of Testsnon‐alcoholic liver diseasenon‐alcoholic steatohepatitisnon‐invasive liver testssubgroup analysis

Identifiers

PMID39865358
PMCPMC11771619

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.