ECHOLIGHT
Specifications
All about the Tech
The R.E.M.S. (Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry) technology is based on rapid ultrasound scans of the reference axial site and the resultant backscatter signals are captured and analysed.
The ultrasound visual allows the operator to ensure they are in the correct position to acquire data from the Region Of Interest (ROI) and therefore ensure the device can acquire sufficient signals to then automatically perform the spectrum analysis, comparisons and calculations.
Fuggle N et al 2024. REMS in the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis: state of the art. Aging Clin Exp Res 36, 135. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-024-02784-w#citeas
| PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS | DXA | ECHOLIGHT REMS |
|---|---|---|
| Radiation Exposure | YES | NO |
| Measurement at Vertebrae and Femoral neck | YES | YES |
| Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Assessment | YES | YES |
| BMD assessment Independent of Bone Size | NO | YES |
| Patient Position Critical to Exam Resuts | YES | NO |
| Diagnosis Affected By Spinal Artifacts or calcification | YES | NO |
| BMD affected by non-uniform soft tissue composition surrounding the bone (Fat Error) | YES | NO |
| Bone Quality Assessment | TBS (Lumbar Spine Only) | YES (Both Lumbar spine and femoral neck) |
| Body Composition Index | YES | YES |
| Operator Independent | NO | YES |
| Accuracy | HIGH | VERY HIGH |
| Primary Care | NO | YES |
| Operator requirements | Certification | Hand-on Training |
| Calibration | Daily or weekly | Every 6 months |
| Diagnostic Tool | YES | YES |
| Appropriate for Regular Monitoring | NO | YES |
| Portable | NO | YES |
Key References
Extensive Clinical Research
Echolight’s innovative REMS technology has undergone extensive clinical research and validation in pivotal studies vs traditional DXA (Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry) and has consistently demonstrated accuracy, reliability, and effectiveness in assessing BMD, bone microarchitecture. Furthermore, large longitudinal studies have proven the effectiveness of the Fragility Score in predicting incident fragility fractures at 5 years in comparison to BMD T-scores in both REMS and DXA. The Publication list below includes the pivotal studies and key publications
Review Articles and Position Statements.
- Fuggle N et al 2024. REMS in the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis: state of the art. Aging Clin Exp Res 36, 135. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-024-02784-w#citeas
Pivotal Studies vs DXA
- Di Paola et al 2019. REMS compared with dual X-ray absorptiometry for osteoporosis diagnosis on lumbar spine and femoral neck. Osteoporos Int. 2019 Feb;30(2):391-402. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30178159/
- Cortet B, et al 2021. REMS for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in a European multicenter clinical context. Bone. 2021 Feb;143:115786. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33278653/
Pivotal studies; Fragility Score & Fracture Risk
- Pisani P et al (2023). Fragility Score: a REMS-based indicator for the prediction of incident fragility fractures at 5 years. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2023 Apr;35(4):763-773. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10115670/
- Adami G et al (2020) Radiofrequency echographic multi spectrometry for the prediction of incident fragility fractures: a 5-year follow-up study. Bone 134:115297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2020.115297
REMS overcoming limitations related to Artifacts
- Tomai Pitinca MD, Fortini P, Gonnelli S, Caffarelli C (2021) Could Radiofrequency Echographic Multi-spectrometry (REMS) overcome the limitations of BMD by DXA related to Artifacts? A series of 3 cases. J Ultrasound Med 40:2773–2777. https://doi.org/10.1002/jum.15665
- Caffarelli C et al (2022) Could radiofrequency echographic multispectrometry (REMS) overcome the overestimation in BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the lumbar spine? BMC Musculoskelet Disord 23:469. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-022-05430-6
- Ishizu H et al (2023) Radiofrequency Echographic Multispectrometry (REMS) can overcome the effects of Structural Internal artifacts and evaluate bone fragility accurately. Calcif Tissue Int. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-023-01167-z
REMS in Specific Patient Populations
- Khosla S, Samakkarnthai P, Monroe DG, Farr JN (2021) Update on the pathogenesis and treatment of skeletal fragility in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nat Rev Endocrinol 17:685–697. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-021-00555-5
- Bojincă VC et al (2019) A novel quantitative method for estimating bone mineral density using B-mode ultrasound and radiofrequency signals-a pilot study on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Exp Ther Med 18:1661–1668. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7746
- Fassio A et al (2023) Radiofrequency echographic multi-spectrometry and DXA for the evaluation of bone mineral density in a peritoneal dialysis setting. Aging Clin Exp Res 35:185–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-022-02286-7
- Caffarelli C et al (2022) Radiofrequency echographic multispectrometry (REMS): an innovative technique for the assessment of bone status in young women with anorexia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord 27:3207–3213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01450-2
- Caffarelli C et al (2023) Radiofrequency Echographic Multispectrometry (REMS): a new option in the Assessment bone status in adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. J Imaging 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging9100210
- Rolla M, Halupczok-Żyła J, Jawiarczyk-Przybyłowska A, Bolanowski M (2020) Bone densitometry by radiofrequency echographic multi-spectrometry (REMS) in acromegaly patients. Endokrynol Pol 71:524–531. https://doi.org/10.5603/EP.a2020.0056
Australian ARTG Registration Certificate
TGA/ARTG Certificate. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/artg/344830