Underutilization of PETH testing among patients with MASLD - retrospective, single-center evaluation of the frequency and results of phosphatidylethanol testing among patients diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and results of phosphatidylethanol (PETH) testing among patients diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The authors found that PETH testing was underutilized, conducted in only 6.9% of patients, yet nearly 40% of those tested had positive results, suggesting that PETH testing could play a crucial role in managing MASLD by identifying potentially harmful alcohol use. However, the study also indicated that existing patient and laboratory characteristics were inadequate for predicting positive PETH results.