Hi {{first name | there}},

Midjourney, the AI image company that made half the internet look like a dream sequence, just announced a medical scanner.

A real, full-body scan they’re building off ultrasound tech.

The company calls it Ultrasonic CT: you stand on a platform, lower into warm water, and a ring of ultrasound sensors reconstructs a 3D map of your body. The company wants the scan to take under 60 seconds, within spa spaces that also offer saunas.

This is both bizarre and brilliant. It also causes some confusion in an already noisy landscape.

Who should get an ultrasonic CT? How does this differ from whole-body MRI?

Read on for the nuanced dive into all these questions, plus a guide for you to make decisions about whether to try any of these scans.

I do not know yet whether Midjourney's scanner will work.

But I'm still extremely excited.

The company announcement describes a water-coupled ultrasound tomography scanner with roughly 500,000 tiny sensors, enormous data throughput, AI segmentation, and a goal of full-body imaging in under a minute. Butterfly Network also confirmed that the prototype uses 40 Butterfly Ultrasound-on-Chip modules, with more than two petaflops of on-device processing.

That is technically interesting, but we don’t really know anything yet about its accuracy.

Butterfly's handheld ultrasound systems are real medical devices. They have FDA-cleared products. But a cleared handheld ultrasound probe is not a blanket clearance for a new full-body water-bath scanner, a consumer spa workflow, a reconstruction algorithm, an AI interpretation layer, or any disease-specific diagnostic claim.

Midjourney seems to know this, and it is going with it. The announced plan is to start with body-composition maps and submit results to FDA over time for expanded capabilities.

I would not yet trust it to replace MRI, CT, or targeted ultrasound, but it is interesting as an entry point for consumer health measurement, given its accessibility.

Most people think about imaging as an event.

You get a scan because something hurts, something is abnormal, or a doctor is looking for a specific diagnosis.

The consumer-health world is pushing imaging into a different category: recurring measurement.

That is why the Midjourney spa concept is not as silly as it sounds. People do not repeat tests just because they are medically “the best scan.” They repeat tests when the experience is easy enough, affordable enough, and emotionally tolerable enough that it becomes part of life.

That is what happened with rings, watches, CGMs, blood pressure cuffs, and smart scales. None of those tools are perfect. Many are far less accurate than formal clinical testing.

But they ar winning because they made measurement easy and repeatable.

As with all consumer-oriented testing, it’s important to have the right perspective and knowledge base to understand results.

For example, if you only test once, a single noisy data point can mislead you, even send you down a rabbit hole of panic.

A repeated, reasonably standardized trend can help you understand your body over time.

That is the future I am interested in: not one expensive heroic scan that claims to know everything, but a stack of measurements that helps you see what is changing.

The biggest mistake in this whole category is treating “body scan” as one thing.

It is not one thing.

Examples: Withings, InBody, Tanita, Omron, RENPHO, Eufy-style home scales.

These are useful for one narrow job: same-device trends.

They estimate body composition using electrical impedance and proprietary equations. They do not accurately scan visceral fat (even if mine claims to give me a visceral fat score). Even under controlled conditions, a multi-frequency BIA study found systematic bias versus DXA. Hydration, food, exercise, skin temperature, cycle shifts, alcohol, travel, and algorithm changes can all move the number.

I still like them when used to trend (and if you assume, as is probably true, that it is flattering you with a lower body fat % than reality). You also should understand what might cause noise. If your Withings scale says your body fat changed from 18% to 22% after sushi, that is not a metabolic emergency. It is probably water, sodium, glycogen, and impedance weirdness having a small office party.

But if the same device, under the same conditions, shows a persistent directional change over months, then that is useful information.

DEXA, also written DXA, uses very low-dose X-ray beams to estimate fat mass, lean mass, regional distribution, visceral adipose tissue, and bone density.

This is one of the most practical tests in longevity medicine because it answers quite accurately questions a scale cannot:

DEXA is not perfect. VAT is still an estimate, and different machines/protocols can vary. But a large MRI/DXA/BIA validation study found DXA-derived visceral-fat estimates tracked whole-volume MRI far better than BIA, which is why I treat DEXA as the practical anchor for most people trying to track body composition.

The cost is also sane. BodySpec-style DEXA scans are often around $40 to $60, while other wellness or medical providers may be higher (expect $200+ in NYC).

If someone is actively changing nutrition, strength training, or metabolic medication, I often like DEXA every 6 to 12 months. More often can be useful for athletes or structured programs. Less often is fine if nothing is changing.

Whole-body MRI is the category most people know because of companies like Prenuvo, Ezra, SimonONE, CoreViva, and Human Longevity.

I am not anti-MRI. I am anti-confusing MRI with comprehensive screening/prevention.

MRI is excellent for many soft-tissue and anatomic findings. It can find things that routine labs and a physical exam will not. It has no ionizing radiation so you could theoretically repeat it daily if you could stand to spend the many hours that would take. It can be a useful baseline for selected people, especially if they understand the follow-up burden (since you will find something).

But it is not a replacement for colonoscopy, mammography or breast MRI, a skin exam, Pap/HPV testing, or lung CT — all of which are far better at screening for specific cancers. It is not a coronary plaque scan, which is best done with a CT.

A 2026 meta-analysis of whole-body MRI in asymptomatic adults found confirmed cancers in about 1.6% of participants, but also highlighted incidental findings, nonstandard protocols, and missing long-term outcomes/cost-effectiveness. A BMJ meta-analysis of incidental MRI findings is the reminder that “we found something” and “we improved someone’s life” are not the same sentence.

That does not mean whole-body MRI is bad.

It means the scan needs proper expectation setting, informed consent, and expert interpretation of results.

CT is where people get understandably nervous because of radiation. But it is a reasonable risk to accept for some people, and new machines have much less radiation compared to old.

CT is very good at certain jobs:

A CAC scan is often inexpensive, sometimes under a few hundred dollars. Function/Ezra currently lists a heart CT with CAC scoring at $349. Cleerly/Heartflow-style analysis uses CCTA images to quantify and characterize coronary plaque; a CLARIFY subgroup analysis is a useful example of why CAC and quantitative CCTA plaque are related but not identical questions. Cost varies by provider, and the use case is more specific.

This is not the imaging type I would use weekly or casually.

This is the image I use when the question requires a very clear, accurate answer.

Ultrasound is wonderful when matched to the right target: thyroid nodules, gallbladder, liver, pelvic findings, vascular studies, echocardiography, pregnancy, procedural guidance, and many focused questions.

It is also operator-dependent and limited by acoustic windows (parts of the body a technician uses to "see" through, like a bladder full of urine - I know!).

Water coupling can improve the body surface interface for a scanner like Midjourney's, but it does not magically erase the physics problems inside the body. Air and bone are still difficult for ultrasound. Lungs, bowel gas, skull/brain, ribs, spine, pelvis, bone marrow, and calcification are not suddenly easy because the room looks like a very expensive hot tub.

Neko Health is worth watching because it packages a preventive health checkup beautifully: skin mapping, cardiovascular measurements, bloodwork, grip strength, and clinician review. In Sweden it lists the scan at 2750 kr, and the company has a NYC waitlist that I am very eagerly waiting on.

That is not a whole-body MRI. It is not CT.

It belongs in the broader category of “make health measurement easier to repeat.” Very similar to what Midjourney is trying, albeit with a more clinical approach.

That category is going to matter a lot more than I think most people expect.

The question to ask yourself is not exactly “what is the best scan?” The question is: what decision would this scan change?

My preferred model is a stack. A smart scale or BIA device is a noisy trend line that’s great to see where things are going week-to-week, month-to-month. DEXA is a body-composition anchor. MRI is baseline anatomy and follow-up questions. CT is for targeted high-resolution questions. Procedures likely biopsies are for confirmation or treatment.

The current landscape is confusing because these businesses are not selling the same thing.

When I compare them, I am looking at five layers:

That is also why the legal issues matter. Prenuvo has been sued in New York after a patient alleged that an elective whole-body MRI report missed signs of an impending stroke; a judge later rejected Prenuvo’s attempt to limit damages using California law. These are allegations in ongoing litigation, not proof of liability. But the case makes the clinical point very clearly: once a company sells medical imaging, the report, radiology quality, informed consent, and follow-up pathway can’t be neglected.

Prices in this category change fast, so I would verify before booking. But this is how I would group the market.

This is the practical, repeatable lane: BodySpec and local DEXA providers, plus InBody, Withings, Tanita, RENPHO, Eufy-style BIA, and similar smart-scale tools.

BodySpec advertises DEXA scans starting around $39.95 to $40, with common pricing around $40 to $60 depending on package and location. BIA is usually even easier and more frequent, but less accurate.

Best for: fat loss, muscle gain, GLP-1 body-composition monitoring, bone-density context, and frequent trend awareness.

Watchouts: tiny changes are not meaningful. Use the same machine/provider when possible, and keep conditions similar: time of day, food, hydration, alcohol, exercise, travel, and menstrual-cycle timing.

This is the MRI-first lane: SimonMed Longevity, Prenuvo, Ezra / Function Health, CoreViva, and standalone Human Longevity whole-body MRI.

SimonMed is worth calling out because it is a more accessible “next thing” in the MRI category: current public pricing shows Core MRI around $899, Core + Head/Neck around $1,599, and Core + Head/Neck/Spine around $2,199. Prenuvo is the more polished DTC whole-body MRI brand, with public tiers around $1,199 to $3,999. Function/Ezra bundles MRI and CT into a broader lab platform. CoreViva is more physician-led and concierge around the scan; I talked with Dr. A. Alexander about the 30-minute MRI screening experience in this episode. Human Longevity lists standalone whole-body MRI around $3,900.

Best for: someone who wants proactive MRI screening and understands incidental findings, false reassurance, and follow-up burden.

Watchouts: a short MRI, a whole-body MRI, a spine add-on, and a clinician-interpreted screening pathway are not the same product. Read exactly what regions, sequences, radiology review, and follow-up are included.

This is the full diagnostic-program lane: Biograph, Human Longevity, Next Health, Fountain Life, and Atria.

Biograph lists $7,500 to $15,000 first-year memberships. Human Longevity lists Executive Health around $8,000/year and 100+ Care around $12,000/year. Next Health lists a $14,500 executive physical. Fountain Life sits in the higher-end diagnostics-membership category, with full-body/brain MRI, CCTA, DEXA, genomics, MCED, epigenetics, and VO2 max on the menu. Atria is the high-touch preventive-health institute version, with on-site whole-body MRI, 3D mammography, DEXA, SPECT, EKG, ultrasound, genomics/liquid biopsies, and wearables; public pricing is not listed, but it is generally reported as a high-five-figure membership.

Best for: someone who wants a full system around the scan: imaging, labs, physician interpretation, and navigation.

Watchouts: cost, complexity, and false reassurance. “More complete” still does not mean nothing can be missed.

This is the targeted CT lane, not the whole-body MRI lane. I talked with Dr. John Osborne of ClearCardio about why standard cholesterol and stress-testing can miss risk, and why CCTA/plaque imaging changes the prevention conversation, in this interview.

What distinguishes it: the question is specific. CAC scores calcified plaque. CCTA shows coronary anatomy and plaque. Cleerly/Heartflow AI analysis can quantify plaque volume and composition from CCTA images. Lung CT is its own lane for people at elevated lung-cancer risk or with a specific lung question.

Best for: cardiovascular and lung questions when risk profile, family history, symptoms, or prior labs make the question specific enough.

Watchouts: radiation, contrast for CCTA, downstream testing, and the need for a clinician who knows what to do with the result. This is not casual wellness scanning. It is targeted risk stratification.

This is where Neko Health and Midjourney Medical belong.

Neko is a beautiful preventive checkup experience: skin mapping, cardiovascular measurements, bloodwork, grip strength, and clinician review, with a NYC waitlist. It is not a whole-body MRI or CT competitor. It is a repeatable preventive measurement experience.

Midjourney Medical is still watchlist only. If the scanner becomes cheap, repeatable, accurate enough for body composition and organ trends, and clinically responsible about escalation, it could become the internal-body version of a wearable. But right now it has no peer-reviewed validation or diagnostic clearance for this use case.

There are many more versions of this emerging. That is the point: the phrase “full-body scan” is not enough. The useful questions are modality, protocol, interpretation, follow-up, and repeatability.

If you want the practical version, here is how I would build the stack.

First, track the foundation things well and regularly:

Second, add a body-composition anchor if it will change behavior:

Third, consider whole-body MRI if you understand the tradeoff:

Fourth, use targeted imaging for targeted questions:

Use low-friction tools for trends. Use high-resolution tools for questions and deep dives. Use invasive or high-specificity procedures when a trend or baseline scan raises a real suspicion.

The future may not be one magic scanner that tells you whether you are healthy.

It is a body-data stack that helps you notice changes earlier, interpret them sanely, and escalate only when the question deserves it.

Keep learning,

Hillary Lin, MD

If this issue made you curious what a whole-body MRI actually looks like in practice, I talked with Dr. A. Alexander, former Lakers and Dodgers team physician and CEO of CoreViva, about 30-minute MRI screening, visceral fat, aneurysms, pricing, and why proactive imaging still needs clinician interpretation.

Watch on YouTube | Subscribe to The Longevity Show

For the more skeptical radiology companion, I also talked with Dr. Sunil Kini about what whole-body MRI can see, what it misses, false positives, overdiagnosis, and why a $2,500 scan should not be treated as comprehensive cancer screening: The $2,500 Scan Everyone’s Getting, But Is It a False Sense of Security?

🛁 A full-body scan in a spa is no longer satire: Midjourney wants a sub-60-second ultrasound bath scan, and Butterfly says its chip is involved; the story is access, not clinical proof yet.

💊 GLP-1s for everything needs a brake pedal: a tiny dulaglutide/MS trial improved metabolic markers, but neurofilament light and MRI volume did not move.

📟 CGM is starting to look like safety infrastructure: in older-onset type 1 diabetes, starting CGM was linked to lower mortality in a target-trial emulation.

🧬 A biological-age clock finally did something interesting: after bariatric surgery, phenotypic age fell about 5.5 years, partly beyond weight loss.

🧠 The shingles-vaccine dementia story refuses to die: a Nature Medicine commentary says the signal deserves real randomized trials, not instant supplement-blog certainty.

🫀 The AI-medicine story I actually care about is triage: an acute-coronary-syndrome LLM study tested first-contact decisions, where faster only matters if misses do not rise.

Love, Loneliness, and Longevity with Sol Lee / Neptune, Wednesday, June 24, 12pm ET. I am joining Sol Lee, co-founder of Neptune, for a LinkedIn Live on why relationships, loneliness, planning, and shared health habits belong in the longevity conversation. Event link is coming; I will post it on LinkedIn.

Dry Eye Society of the Americas Conference, July 10-11, New York, NY. A clinician-focused dry eye and ocular surface meeting.

Science of Skin Summit, September 17-20, Austin, TX. Speaking on AI in dermatology and skin and hair as windows into biological age.

Livelong Women's Health Summit NYC, September 25-26, New York, NY. A two-day summit on women's health, longevity, and agency. My role is still being finalized, but it is on the fall calendar.

A few reader-supported partners that fit the longevity stack:

If you want physician-guided biological age testing, start on the testing page. It includes epigenetic age testing with consultation, plus organ-specific proteomic and SystemAge assessments when they fit the clinical question.

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