Ataxia scales for the clinical evaluation

Abstract

The International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS), the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale (FARS), the Brief Ataxia Rating Scale (BARS), and the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) represent validated scales for the assessment of disease severity and progression in cerebellar disease. Each scale has its strengths and weaknesses. Extensive scales are certainly useful for thorough documentation of specifi c features of certain phenotypes, but this gain of information is not always essential for the purpose of a study. Therefore, compact and manageable scales like SARA are often preferred to more complex scales in observational and therapeutic studies.