The hidden carbon cost of a brain scan.

A footprint that rarely gets counted

When we weigh up a diagnostic test, we usually think about cost, accuracy and risk to the patient. The environmental cost rarely enters the conversation, yet medical imaging is one of the more energy-intensive things a hospital does, and the standard neurological pathway leans on it heavily, alongside the travel that getting to a specialist centre requires.

What the imaging research shows

Medical imaging is a significant share of a hospital’s energy use, with MRI, CT and PET among the most demanding (carbon-footprint reviews, 2024 to 2025). One analysis put a single MRI service at up to 22 kg of CO2-equivalent per patient, and a 3-tesla scan has been estimated at 200 to 300 kg in earlier work. CT and MRI together account for an estimated 0.77 percent of global emissions.

The case for assessment at home

Deep Medicine’s assessment runs on a standard smartphone, with no scanner, no hospital infrastructure and no journey to a specialist centre. It is not a replacement for imaging where imaging is needed, but as an early, non-invasive step it is intended to reduce the footprint per assessment and to keep many people out of the high-energy pathway until they actually need it.