Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) Clinic

MASLD can be a life-long challenge for many patients. That’s why our program is structured to tackle the disease from multiple angles, beginning with an accurate diagnosis. We’re committed to working with your family for as long as it takes to get your child on a path toward better health.

Advanced Diagnostics

MASLD is usually diagnosed with a combination of metabolic risk factors, lab testing and imaging scans.

Tests to diagnose MASLD in your child may include:

  • Blood tests (liver enzymes): To see if there is liver damage and to rule out other causes of your child’s liver problems. Usually, the liver enzymes that are elevated include alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). Before referring you to our clinic, your child’s pediatrician may have tested their hemoglobin A1C and completed a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), along with a diabetes lipid panel.
  • Ultrasound elastography or MRI elastography: To look for abnormalities and fibrosis, or scarring, in the liver. These imaging scans don’t use radiation. The images are painless and taken from outside the body (non-invasive). Ultrasound uses a probe to see inside the body through the skin. For an MRI, the patient must lie very still so, if needed, we may use anesthesia to allow your child to sleep during the scan.
  • Liver biopsy: May be used for diagnosis to stage and grade MASLD or to rule out other causes of liver disease. A liver biopsy is a minimally invasive procedure. This means only a small incision is made in the skin. Through Interventional Radiology, a surgeon takes a sample of tissue using an imaging scan to guide them. The tissue is then closely examined and tested in a lab. With general anesthesia, your child will sleep through the procedure.

Treatment Options

The good news for today’s MASLD patients is that you have options. Experts at Phoenix Children’s are up to date with the latest research about MASLD and ways to treat obesity. New medications are available as an effective treatment, and bariatric surgery is an option for some patients. We have providers that are certified in obesity medicine and have a better understanding of the causes – and effective treatments – than ever before.

Often MASLD brings on related conditions and disorders that could impact your child’s future health. We make sure each patient gets a whole-body approach to healing. Our goals are to stop the liver disease from worsening and also to prevent other conditions from developing.

We work closely with nutrition experts and specialists in these and other areas to coordinate your child’s overall health: