AI‐Based Platelet‐Independent Noninvasive Test for Liver Fibrosis in MASLD Patients

ABSTRACT Background and Aim Noninvasive tests (NITs), such as platelet‐based indices and ultrasound/MRI elastography, are widely used to assess liver fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, platelet counts are not routinely included in Japanese health c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shun‐ichi Wakabayashi, Takefumi Kimura, Nobuharu Tamaki, Takanobu Iwadare, Taiki Okumura, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Yuki Yamashita, Naoki Tanaka, Masayuki Kurosaki, Takeji Umemura
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-04-01
Series:JGH Open
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/jgh3.70150
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT Background and Aim Noninvasive tests (NITs), such as platelet‐based indices and ultrasound/MRI elastography, are widely used to assess liver fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, platelet counts are not routinely included in Japanese health check‐ups, limiting their utility in large‐scale screenings. Additionally, elastography, while effective, is costly and less accessible in routine practice. Most existing AI‐based models incorporate these markers, restricting their applicability. This study aimed to develop a simple yet accurate AI model for liver fibrosis staging using only routine demographic and biochemical markers. Methods This retrospective study analyzed biopsy‐proven data from 463 Japanese MASLD patients. Patients were randomly assigned to training (N = 370, 80%) and test (N = 93, 20%) cohorts. The AI model incorporated age, sex, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and routine blood markers (AST, ALT, γ‐GTP, HbA1c, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol). Results The Support Vector Machine model demonstrated high diagnostic performance, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.886 for detecting significant fibrosis (≥ F2). The AUCs for advanced fibrosis (≥ F3) and cirrhosis (F4) were 0.882 and 0.916, respectively. Compared to FIB‐4, APRI, and FAST score (0.80–0.96), SVM achieved comparable accuracy while eliminating the need for platelet count or elastography. Conclusion This AI model accurately assesses liver fibrosis in MASLD patients without requiring platelet count or elastography. Its simplicity, cost‐effectiveness, and strong diagnostic performance make it well‐suited for large‐scale health screenings and routine clinical use.
ISSN:2397-9070