Achilles Express Ultrasonometer

Achilles Express™

The Achilles Express ultrasonometer is a compact, cost-effective solution for evaluating risk of osteoporotic fracture. Its low precision error makes it suitable to monitor bone changes, such as those associated with disease progression or response to therapy.

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The Achilles Express is a proven bone ultrasonometer that brings fracture risk assessment to the forefront of healthcare. Numerous clinical studies show that ultrasonometry of the heel using Achilles is an economical and reliable complement to DXA.2,3,4,5,6 Testing is fast and you get immediate results enabling you to counsel patients and make sound treatment decisions.

Achilles Express fits in less than two square feet of office space. Easy to take on the road, to satellite offices, nursing homes, or outreach programs. Achilles' portability makes it ideal to use as an early assessment tool for identifying patients for DXA scans. The complete system weighs just 24 lbs (11kg) and the ergonomic design makes it easy to carry. Just slip it into the front east or trunk of your care and you are ready to travel.


Productive Value


Calcaneus: A good site for fracture risk assessment1
Evidence supports the calcaneus as the optimum peripheral site for fracture risk assessment.

  • Easy accessibility
  • High trabecular content
  • Weight bearing
  • Proven predictive of hip fracture risk.2,6
  • Proven predictive of vertebral fracture status3,4,5


Complete exams with confidence in less that one minute.
Achilles Express reports are concise and easy to interpret. The patient's result is expressed as a T-score and as a percentage compared to the reference population. The results are also graphed against the reference population.

SmartDry technology
With SmartDry technology you will not sacrifice precision or convenience. SmartDry keeps the foot dry by using water encapsulated in membranes that conform closely to the patient's foot and are temperature controlled, reducing variation. SmartDry's "closed-water system" requires virtually no maintenance and measurement and clean-up are easy since isopropyl alcohol or ethanol are used as coupling agents.

Backed by solid science
The Achilles ultrasonometer has been proven in prospective studies to predict fracture risk in postmenopausal women, ages 45 to 75+ years. These studies show Achilles to be as effective as DXA of the femur in predicting hip fracture risk.2,6,7
Three large population-based studies proved that QUS of the calcaneus worked as well as central DXA for identification of women at high risk for prevalent osteoporotic vertebral fractures.3,4,5
In a direct comparison to other QUS devices the Achilles Stiffness Index was the most sensitive to vertebral fracture status.3

Monitor treatment
Achilles has been proven to have precision suitable for monitoring bone changes through aging or in response to therapy.8

References:
1. Marshall D, Johnell O, Wedel H (1996) Meta-analysis of how well measures of bone mineral density predict occurrence of osteoporotic fractures. BMJ 312[7041]:1254-1259
2. Marc-Antoine Krieg et al Prediction of Hip Fracture Risk by Quantitative Ultrasound in More Than 7000 Swiss Woment >=70 years of Age: Comparison of Three Technologically Different Bone Ultrasound Devices in the SEMOF Study. JBMR Volume 21, Number 9, 2006
3. Claus C Glüer et al Association of Five Quantitative Ultrasound Devices and Bone Densitometry With Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in a Population-based Sample: The OPUS study. JBMR Volume 19, Number 5, 2004
4. B. Frediani et al Calcaneus Ultrasonometry and Dual-Energy XRay Absorptiometry for the Evaluation of Vertebral Fracture Risk. Calcif Tissue Int (2006) 79:223-229
5. F. Hartl et al Discriminatory Ability of Quantitative Ultrasound Parameters and Bone Mineral Density in a Population-Based Sample of Postmenopausal Women With Vertebral Fractures: Results of the Basel Osteoporosis Study
6. D. Hans et al Ultrasonographic Heel Measurements to Predict Hip Fracture in Elderly Women: The EPIDOS Prospective Study. The Lancet, Vol 348:511-514, 1996
7. Paul W. Thompson et al Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) of the Heel Predicts Wrist and Osteoporosis-Related Fractures in Women Age 45-75 Years. Journal of Clinical Densitometry, Vol 1, No. 3, 219-225, Fall 1998.
8. S. Gonnelli et al Heel Ultrasonography in Monitoring Alendronate Therapy: A Four-Year Longitudinal Study. Osteoporosis Int (2002) 13:415-421


Easy to Use and Interpret

The one-minute ultrasound test is simple to perform: a touch of the built-in LCD screen is all it takes. Achilles Express automatically calculates the patient’s STIFFNESS Index which is compared to young adult and age-matched references to provide both a T-score and Z-score. These, together with other risk factors, assist physicians in the diagnosis of osteoporosis.


T-Scores

Achilles Express, like the Achilles+™, provides T-scores comparable to spine or femur BMD. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines fracture risk based on the "T-score" for bone mineral density (BMD) measured by DEXA. The T-score is the difference between the patient value and the average value in healthy young adults divided by standard deviation.


Portability

The Achilles Express offers superior portability. This lightweight (22 pounds), rugged ultrasonometer is easily transported or carried between offices using its built-in handle.

The Achilles Express is perfect for the busy physicians’ office. It includes an internal microcomputer with memory for 100 patient results, and a built-in printer. The compact design occupies less than 2 square feet of office space allowing it to be stored under a desk or in a closet when idle.