Incorporating assessment of the cervical facet joints in the modified Stoke ankylosing spondylitis spine score is of additional value in the evaluation of spinal radiographic outcome in ankylosing spondylitis

Background To aim was to investigate the additional value of incorporating the de Vlam cervical facet joint score in the modified ankylosing spondylitis (AS) spine score (mSASSS) for the evaluation of spinal radiographic outcome in AS. Method Baseline and 4-year radiographs from 98 consecutive patients from the Groningen Leeuwarden AS (GLAS) cohort, who had AS treated with TNF-α inhibitors, were scored by two readers; the vertebral bodies were assessed according to the mSASSS (0-72) and cervical facet joints (C2-C7) were assessed according to the method of de Vlam (0-15). The combined AS spine... Mehr ...