Repair of bone erosions in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review

Objective: The aim of this study was to review the literature to identify studies reporting repair of erosions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method: A systematic literature search for publications on the repair of erosions was performed in PubMed and Embase, limited to human adults and published in English. Titles, abstracts, and full reports of articles identified were screened by the first author and verified by the second author. Results: The search yielded 411 publications, of which 33 (20 articles and 13 case reports) suggested repair of erosions in RA. There was heterogeneity in study design and different definitions of repair were used. Twelve articles showed strong evidence of repair, in eight articles repair was probable, and in all 13 case reports repair was evident. Conclusion: Repair of erosions does occur in RA. The definition and frequency of repair vary and the possible clinical relevance is unclear, motivating further studies.