Cut or Count? Evaluating Advanced Fibrosis Assessment Tools in MASH and Chronic Viral Hepatitis

Background/Objectives: Chronic liver diseases, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and chronic viral hepatitis (CVH), are major global health concerns due to their potential progression to cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Because liver biopsy, despite meeting the diagnostic gold standard, is invasive and associated with complications, non-invasive fibrosis assessment tools have been increasingly recommended in clinical practice. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of several non-invasive fibrosis markers (ARR, APRI, FI, FIB-4, API, NFS, BARD) and transient elastography in detecting advanced liver fibrosis (F4) in patients with MASH and CVH. Methods: This retrospective study included 237 adult patients (77 MASH, 160 CVH) who underwent liver biopsy between 2017 and 2025 at the University Clinical Center of Serbia. CVH included chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and C (CHC). Patients were evaluated using serum fibrosis indices and TE, and results were compared to histological staging (F0-F4). ROC analysis assessed diagnostic performance. Results: Cirrhosis (F4) was more common in CVH than MASH (p < 0.001). In MASH, NFS (AUROC 0.931), FIB-4 (0.915), BARD (0.872), and APRI (0.878) showed high diagnostic accuracy for F4. In CHC, APRI (0.931), FIB-4 (0.863), and TE (0.938) had strong performance, while in CHB, TE (0.987) outperformed FIB-4 (0.821). Sensitivity and specificity varied by test and cohort, with TE consistently yielding the best results where available. Conclusions: Non-invasive methods, particularly NFS and FIB-4 for MASH and TE for CVH, effectively identify advanced fibrosis. Their application could significantly reduce the need for biopsy, especially in high-risk groups. TE demonstrated superior accuracy, but access limitations highlight the continued relevance of serum-based scores.