Do we really need to evaluate entire cervical spines for squaring score in modified stoke ankylosing spondylitis spinal score?
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate squaring of cervical spine in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to suggest whether assessment for squaring of entire cervical spines in the modified Stoke AS Spinal Score (mSASSS) is really needed.


METHODS
The study group comprised 125 healthy subjects and 135 patients with AS. Two experienced radiologists assessed the presence or absence of squaring in the individual cervical vertebrae twice independently. The frequencies of squaring of each vertebral site were obtained, and the differences between the control and AS groups were statistically analyzed.


RESULTS
Kappa intra- and interobserver reliability coefficients were 0.76 and 0.61, respectively. The frequency of spinal squaring for each vertebra in the control group was as follows: the 2nd (lower border 100%), 3rd (upper border 85.2%-91.0%, lower border 91.0%-93.4%), 4th (upper border 44.3%-49.2%, lower border 57.4%-63.1%), 5th (upper border 5.0%-6.6%, lower border 8.4%-15%), 6th (upper border 2.7%-7.3%, lower border 4.7%-8.6%), 7th cervical vertebra (upper border 39.7%-45.6%, lower border 51.5%-54.1%), and the 1st thoracic vertebra (upper border 56.0%-62.5%). Although there were statistically significant differences at 4th, 5th, 6th, and upper border of 7th cervical vertebra, a high proportion of normal 4th and 7th cervical vertebra were scored as squared.


CONCLUSIONS
Only the 5th and 6th cervical spines are useful for scoring squaring of cervical spine in the mSASSS.
Kim
Tae-Jong
TJ
Department of Rheumatology, The Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Hee-Sun
HS
Joo
Kyung-Bin
KB
Kim
Sungjun
S
Kim
Tae-Hwan
TH
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D011859:Radiography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology