Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Tests and procedures used to diagnose nonalcoholic fatty liver disease include:

• Blood tests. Liver function tests, including tests of liver enzymes, may help your doctor make a diagnosis.
• Imaging procedures. Imaging procedures used to diagnose fatty liver disease include ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Liver tissue testing. If it’s suspected that you have a more serious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, your doctor may recommend a procedure to remove a sample of tissue from your liver (liver biopsy). The tissue sample is examined in a laboratory to look for signs of inflammation and scarring.

Liver biopsy is typically done using a long needle inserted through your skin and into your liver to remove liver cells (needle biopsy).