Table 3 Endoscopic scores for ulcerative colitis

Baron [ 21]

Normal: matt mucosa, ramifying vascular patter clearly visible, no spontaneous bleeding, no bleeding to light touch

Abnormal, but non-haemorrhagic: appearances between 0 and 2

Moderately haemorrhagic: bleeding to light touch, but no spontaneous bleeding seen ahead of the instrument on initial inspection

Severely haemorrhagic: spontaneous bleeding seen ahead of instrument at initial inspection and bleeds to light touch

Powell-Tuck [4]

Non-haemorrhagic (no bleeding spontaneously or on light touch)

Haemorrhagic (bleeding on light touch, but no spontaneous bleeding ahead of instrument)

Haemorrhagic (spontaneous bleeding seen ahead of instrument on initial inspection and bleeding to light touch)

Rachmilewitz [7]

No granulation scattering light, normal vascular pattern, no mucosal vulnerability, no mucosal damage (mucus, fibrin, exudates, ulcer)

Faded or disturbed vascular pattern

Granulation scattering light, completely absent vascular pattern, contact bleeding, slight mucosal damage

Spontaneous bleeding,, pronounced mucosal damage

Lémann [16]

Normal mucosa

Oedema and/or loss of mucosal vascularity, granularity

Friability (visible, induced bleeding on examination), petechiae

Spontaneous haemorrhage, visible ulcers

Schroeder [5]

Normal or inactive disease

Mild (erythema, decreased vascular pattern, mild friability)

Moderate (marked erythema, absent vascular pattern, friability, erosions)

Severe (spontaneous bleeding, ulceration)

Sutherland [6]

Normal

Mild friability

Moderate friability

Exudation, spontaneous haemorrhage

Feagan [14]

Normal, smooth, glistening mucosa, with vascular pattern visible; not friable

Granular mucosa; vascular pattern not visible; not friable; hyperaemia

As 1, with a friable mucosa, but not spontaneously bleeding

As 2, but mucosa spontaneously bleeding

As 3, but clear ulceration; denuded mucosa