Changing Item Status doesn't Count as a 'updated item' in the Review

Each requirement has a different state, draft, in review or approved. These states are part of a pick list called Item Status. When the reqs are ready for review, we batch transition them from 'draft' to 'in review'. A review is created a bunch different revisions are published. Finally all the reqs are approved / signed, then the reqs are transitions to 'approved' and system locked. Finally the review is closed. A few weeks later, the engineer needs to update a req-1234 that has already been approved, so permission was given for the engr to transition req-1234 back to 'in review', update it, save it and then re-open the original review. Good  = the comments and history were retained for each req in the review, BAD = the items that were previously approved have now be unchecked and the approvers have to approve them all, even though only req-1234 was updated.

Is there a way to exclude changes to the 'Item Status' from being part of the '...Item Updated Since VersionX' Filter?
Thanks...