title: Radiologic observation: repair of focal bone erosions after humanized antitumor necrosis factor antibody adalimumab therapy in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Erosions of the bone and cartilage are considered as a cardinal feature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) leading to joint destruction and functional limitations. This report is a radiologic observation of distinguishable bone erosion repair with concomitant increase of radio-opacity of trabecular bones after 15 months of antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) antibody adalimumab therapy in a 26-year-old woman with RA resistant to conventional therapy. Although the introduction of anti-TNF antibodies has contributed to the slowing and arrest of RA progression, destruction itself has been generally acknowledged as an irreversible process with little hope (only 1.8% of erosions) in resolution. Our patient's dramatic structural retrieval is a discrepant, yet notable case pivoting the previous belief on the skeletal restoration capacity of anti-TNF antibody into a circulating cytokine-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Inhye E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Ji Hyeon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Sung-Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ho-Youn
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000068879:Adalimumab; D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D011859:Radiography; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000068879:Adalimumab