TOPLINE:

Among patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), bariatric surgery was associated with early significant reductions in the prevalence of MASLD and hepatic steatosis and fibrosis as assessed using FibroScan.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective study to determine whether bariatric surgery yields early reductions in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in patients with MASLD (November 2022 to December 2024).
• They assessed 111 adult patients (mean age, 48 years; 71% women) with MASLD, defined as the presence of hepatic steatosis and at least one cardiometabolic risk factor; all patients underwent bariatric surgery — Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
• All participants underwent a FibroScan assessment at 6 months preoperatively and postoperatively (mean, 7 months) to assess hepatic steatosis — defined as a controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) score > 240 dB/m — and hepatic fibrosis, defined as a liver stiffness measurement (LSM) value > 7 kPa.
• The resolution of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis refers to the normalisation of a CAP score to < 240 dB/m and an LSM value to < 7 kPa, respectively (and not histologic resolution).

TAKEAWAY:

• Patients experienced a mean reduction of 26% in CAP scores (mean, 355 to 262 dB/m) and 33% in LSM values (mean, 8.3 to 5.6 kPa) postoperatively (P < .001 for both).
• Postoperatively, the prevalence of MASLD decreased significantly from 100% to 61% and that of hepatic fibrosis decreased from 41% to 8% (P < .001 for both).
• The resolution of hepatic steatosis was noted in 39% of patients and that of hepatic fibrosis was noted in 80% of patients postoperatively (P < .001 for both).
• In an exploratory multivariate analysis, the total weight-loss percentage was independently associated with a reduction in CAP scores (regression coefficient, 2.973; P = .002).

IN PRACTICE:

"Bariatric surgery was observed as an extremely effective treatment for MASLD," the authors of the study wrote. "Fibroscan is an invaluable tool that enables non-invasive assessment of MASLD and hepatic fibrosis, which may help in identifying excellent and poor responders," they added.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Wymin Sivakumar, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. It was published online on February 09, 2026, in Scientific Reports.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was limited by the relatively small sample size and the lack of histologic confirmation. Follow-up data were limited.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive any funding. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.