Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Mar 1;58(3):388-400.
doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/key128.

Modified stoke ankylosing spondylitis spinal score as an outcome measure to assess the impact of treatment on structural progression in ankylosing spondylitis

Désirée van der Heijde  1 , Jürgen Braun  2 , Atul Deodhar  3 , Xenofon Baraliakos  2 , Robert Landewé  4 , Hanno B Richards  5 , Brian Porter  6 , Aimee Readie  6
Affiliations
Review

Modified stoke ankylosing spondylitis spinal score as an outcome measure to assess the impact of treatment on structural progression in ankylosing spondylitis

Désirée van der Heijde et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). .

Abstract

In ankylosing spondylitis (AS), structural damage that occurs as a result of syndesmophyte formation and ankylosis of the vertebral column is irreversible. Structural damage is currently assessed by conventional radiography and scoring systems that reliably assess radiographic structural damage are needed to capture the differential effects of drugs on structural damage progression. The validity of the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS) as a primary outcome measure in evaluating the effect of AS treatments on radiographic progression rates was assessed in this review. The mSASSS has not been used, to date, as a primary outcome measure in a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial of biologic therapy in AS. This review of the medical literature confirmed that the mSASSS is the most validated and widely used method for assessing radiographic progression in AS, correlating with worsening measures of disease signs and symptoms, spinal mobility and physical function, with a 2-year interval being required to ensure sufficient sensitivity to change.

Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis; imaging; mSASSS; radiograph; radiography; scoring; spondyloarthritis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

<sc>Fig</sc>. 1
Fig. 1
Sample mSASSS scoring (from 0 to 3) for spinal vertebral edges Reproduced from imaging of axial spondyloarthritis including ankylosing spondylitis, J Braun & X Baraliakos, Ann Rheum Dis 70(Suppl 1): i97–i103, 2011. With permission from BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Landewé R, Dougados M, Mielants H, van der Tempel H, van der Heijde D.. Physical function in ankylosing spondylitis is independently determined by both disease activity and radiographic damage of the spine. Ann Rheum Dis 2009;68:863–7. - PubMed
    1. Baraliakos X, Listing J, Rudwaleit M. et al. Progression of radiographic damage in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: defining the central role of syndesmophytes. Ann Rheum Dis 2007;66:910–5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ostergaard M, Lambert RG.. Imaging in ankylosing spondylitis. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis 2012;4:301–11. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ramiro S, van Tubergen A, van der Heijde D. et al. Brief report: erosions and sclerosis on radiographs precede the subsequent development of syndesmophytes at the same site: a twelve-year prospective followup of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2014;66:2773–9. - PubMed
    1. Baraliakos X, Heldmann F, Callhoff J. et al. Which spinal lesions are associated with new bone formation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis treated with anti-TNF agents? A long-term observational study using MRI and conventional radiography. Ann Rheum Dis 2014;73:1819–25. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances