Author information
1Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medical Specialities, University Hospital of Modena, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
2Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
3IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
4Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University and Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata of Verona, Verona, Italy.
5National Institute for Health Research, Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
6Centre for Liver & Gastrointestinal Research, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
7Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Medical Specialities, University Hospital of Modena, University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy antonio.colecchia@unimore.it.
#Contributed equally.
Abstract
Objective: A simple combined score with liver stiffness, controlled attenuation parameter and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the FibroScan-AST (FAST) score, has been proposed to non-invasively identify patients with fibrotic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the overall diagnostic accuracy of the FAST score in identifying patients with fibrotic NASH.
Design: We systematically searched MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus and Cochrane Library electronic databases for full-text published articles in any language between 3 February 2020 and 30 April 2022. We included original articles that reported data for the calculation of sensitivity and specificity of the FAST score for identifying adult patients with fibrotic NASH adults, according to previously described rule-out (≤0.35) and rule-in (≥0.67) cut-offs.
Results: We included 12 observational studies for a total of 5835 participants with biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The pooled prevalence of fibrotic NASH was 28% (95% CI 21% to 34%). The FAST score's pooled sensitivity was 89% (95% CI 82% to 93%), and the pooled specificity was 89% (95% CI 83% to 94%) according to the aforementioned rule-in/rule-out cut-offs. The negative predictive value and positive predictive value of the FAST score were 92% (95% CI 91% to 95%) and 65% (95% CI 53% to 68%), respectively. Subgroup analyses and influential bias analyses did not alter these findings.
Conclusion: The results of our meta-analysis show that the FAST score has a good performance for non-invasive diagnosis of fibrotic NASH. Therefore, this score can be used to efficiently identify patients who should be referred for a conclusive liver biopsy and/or consideration for treatment with emerging pharmacotherapies.
Prospero registration number: CRD42022350945.