Table 2.
Ulcerative colitis endoscopic index of severity descriptors and definitions
| Descriptor (Score Most Severe Lesions) | Likert Scale Anchor Points | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Vascular pattern | Normal (1) | Normal vascular pattern with arborization of capillaries clearly defined, or with blurring or patchy loss of capillary margins |
| Patchy obliteration (2) | Patchy obliteration of vascular pattern | |
| Obliterated (3) | Complete obliteration of vascular pattern | |
| Bleeding | None (1) | No visible blood |
| Mucosal (2) | Some spots or streaks of coagulated blood on the surface of the mucosa ahead of the scope, which can be washed away | |
| Luminal mild (3) | Some free liquid blood in the lumen | |
| Luminal moderate or severe (4) | Frank blood in the lumen ahead of endoscope or visible oozing from mucosa after washing intraluminal blood, or visible oozing from a hemorrhagic mucosa | |
| Erosions and ulcers | None (1) | Normal mucosa, no visible erosions or ulcers |
| Erosions (2) | Tiny (≤5 mm) defects in the mucosa, of a white or yellow color with a flat edge | |
| Superficial ulcer (3) | Larger (>5 mm) defects in the mucosa, which are discrete fibrin-covered ulcers in comparison with erosions, but remain superficial | |
| Deep ulcer (4) | Deeper excavated defects in the mucosa, with a slightly raised edge |
Additional files indicating the levels of the UCEIS are available online only.
From Travis SPL, Schnell D, Krzeski P, et al. Developing an instrument to assess the endoscopic severity of ulcerative colitis: the Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS). Gut. 2012;61(4):535-542. https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2011-300486.