Diagnostic Deserts: National Gaps in Screening and Care Infrastructure for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.

Clayton, Mitchell W; Benson, Joanne T; Bobek, Olivia J; Canning, Rachel E; Ou, Fang-Shu; Allen, Alina M · Am J Gastroenterol · 2026

Where this comes from

Abstract

The goal of this study was to identify nationwide access to transient elastography (TE), magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), and gastroenterologists. We used public data from each test's manufacturer's website to identify the number of TE and MRE units in the United States. We used public data from the Health Resources & Services Administration to identify the number of gastroenterologists in the U.S. 82.4% of U.S. counties do not contain TE or MRE, and 69.2% do not contain a gastroenterologist . Two-thirds (67.4%) of U.S. counties do not contain either elastography or a gastroenterologist. There is limited access to TE, MRE, and gastroenterologists in the United States.