Background The effect of zoledronic acid (ZA) on articular bone in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) was investigated using MRI.

Methods Patients with erosive PsA were randomised to receive 3-monthly infusions of ZA or placebo for 1 year. An additional ‘tests alone’ group received no infusions. Clinical assessments and MRI scans were performed at baseline and 1 year.

Results Paired 1.5T MRI scans were available in 22 patients including 6 who received ZA and 16 who did not (non-ZA = 6 placebo + 10 ‘tests alone’ patients). The Disease Activity Score (28 swollen and tender joints, C reactive protein fell over 12 months to a greater degree in patients on ZA than in non-ZA patients (−1.6 vs −0.3, p=0.023). The MRI bone oedema score decreased in the ZA group (15.5 to 8.5) but increased in the non-ZA group (14.0 to 18.0) (p= 0.0056) with regression of bone oedema at 13.5% of sites in ZA patients vs 1.3% in non-ZA patients (p = 0.0073) and progression in 1.3% of sites in ZA patients vs 6.9% in non-ZA patients (p = 0.072). There was no difference between groups in change in MRI erosion score.

Conclusions In this pilot study ZA reduced the progression of MRI bone oedema, indicating probable suppression of osteitis concordant with reduction in clinical measures of disease activity.