Association of Bone Edema with the Progression of Bone Erosions Quantified by Hand Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Remission

Abstract

Subclinical inflammation was identified by MRI in 96.4% of patients with RA in sustained clinical remission. Significantly higher scores of BME after sustained remission were observed in patients with progression of erosions compared to patients with no progression. The persistence of higher scores of BME may explain the progression of bone erosions in patients with persistent clinical remission.