Private Thyroid and Neck Ultrasound Scan in London

A private thyroid and neck ultrasound scan at London Private Ultrasound is £219, all-inclusive, at both our Central London and St Albans clinics. That covers the scan, nodule grading, findings explained on the day and a written report with images.

Across London, private thyroid ultrasound generally runs from around £150 to £300 at self-pay clinics, rising to £280 and above for consultant-led scans in the Harley Street area. On the NHS the scan has no direct cost once your GP has referred you, but routine imaging waiting times vary by area.

There is no single best clinic for everyone, so it is worth comparing five things before you book: who actually performs and reports the scan, whether thyroid nodules are graded U1 to U5 in the written report, whether the price quoted is all-inclusive, how quickly the report arrives, and whether the provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission.

London Private Ultrasound sits inside the Harley Street Medical District at 27 Welbeck Street, W1G 8EN. The thyroid and neck ultrasound is £219 all-inclusive, performed by a registered sonographer or ultrasound consultant, with U1 to U5 nodule grading, findings explained on the day and a written report with images within 24 hours. We are CQC registered, open seven days a week, and rated 4.8 on Google across more than 1,200 reviews. Consultant-led scans elsewhere in the district commonly start around £280.

Often, yes. Both clinics run seven days a week from 9am to 7pm, and same-day or next-day slots are frequently available. Book online, call 020 7101 3377 or message us on WhatsApp and the team will tell you what is free today.

There is nothing to prepare for, so a same-day appointment costs you nothing in convenience. You will have your findings explained before you leave and the written report within 24 hours.

No. You can self-refer and book directly online, by calling 020 7101 3377 or on WhatsApp. GP referrals are welcome but not required.

If you already have thyroid blood results, a referral letter or a previous scan report, bring them. They give your sonographer useful context and make the report more valuable to whoever reads it next.

The scanning itself takes 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how many nodules or nodes need measuring. Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the full appointment, including your history and the discussion of findings.

You can eat, drive and return to work immediately afterwards. There is no recovery time.

No. The scan is painless and non-invasive. The gel is warmed and the probe rests lightly on the skin of the neck. Nothing is inserted and there are no needles.

The only thing most people notice is lying with the neck gently extended over a pillow, which can feel a little awkward. If you have neck pain or restricted movement, tell us when you book and we will adapt the position.

It shows the thyroid gland and its size and texture, any nodules or cysts within it, the cervical lymph nodes, the parotid and submandibular salivary glands, and any other lump or swelling in the soft tissues of the neck.

It does not assess the neck arteries for stroke risk. That is a carotid Doppler scan, which is a different examination.

The thyroid and neck ultrasound looks at glands, lymph nodes and soft tissue lumps. Screening the neck arteries for narrowing and plaque is a separate examination, the carotid Doppler scan, which uses Doppler to measure blood flow through both carotid arteries.

If your doctor has heard a bruit in your neck, or you are having your stroke risk assessed, the carotid Doppler is the scan you want. Mention it when you book if you would like both, so enough appointment time is set aside.

Only indirectly. Ultrasound images the neck from the outside, so it reads the thyroid, salivary glands, lymph nodes and soft tissue well. It cannot see inside the throat itself, including the larynx, pharynx and tonsils, because air blocks the sound waves. Those areas are examined with a camera test, usually a nasendoscopy performed by an ENT specialist.

What ultrasound can show is abnormal cervical lymph nodes, which are sometimes the first sign that something in the head and neck needs investigating. If your nodes look abnormal, the report says so and includes a referral letter for ENT or your GP. Hoarseness, a persistent sore throat or difficulty swallowing lasting more than three weeks should be assessed by a doctor rather than by a scan alone.

There is no preparation. No fasting, no fluid loading and no medication changes. Continue levothyroxine or any other thyroid medication as normal.

Wear a top that is loose or open at the neck, and remove necklaces before the scan. That is the whole list.

Not on its own. Ultrasound is very good at finding thyroid nodules and at describing the features that make one more or less concerning, which is what the U1 to U5 grading communicates.

A definitive diagnosis needs a fine-needle aspiration biopsy, usually performed under ultrasound guidance through a specialist pathway. If your scan shows features that warrant that, the report says so and a referral letter is included.

Yes, for most neck lumps this is the correct first test. Ultrasound establishes which structure the lump belongs to, whether it is solid or fluid-filled, how big it is and whether it looks reassuring.

Many neck lumps are not thyroid at all: they turn out to be lymph nodes, salivary gland problems, cysts or benign soft-tissue lumps. All of those are covered in the same appointment.

Yes, and it is included in the £219. The parotid and submandibular glands are assessed as part of the same appointment, which covers swelling of the gland, salivary duct stones, duct dilatation, cysts and any lump within the gland.

Common reasons people book are a swelling in front of the ear or under the jaw, swelling that comes on at mealtimes, or a lump that has not settled after an infection. The sublingual gland sits under the tongue and is harder to assess on ultrasound, so a specialist opinion is sometimes still needed.

Yes. Both thyroid lobes and the isthmus are measured, thyroid volume is calculated, the texture of the gland is described and every significant nodule is recorded with its size and position. That gives you a baseline you can compare against later, which is how goitre growth is usually monitored.

Swelling on one side is often one enlarged lobe or a dominant nodule. Sometimes the cause sits outside the thyroid altogether and turns out to be a lymph node, a salivary gland or a cyst, all of which the same scan covers. Rapid growth, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or a change in your voice needs urgent medical assessment rather than a routine scan.

Yes, and it is a common reason to book. Blood tests measure function; ultrasound shows structure. A nodule, cyst or goitre can be present with a completely normal TSH.

The reverse is also true, which is why an overactive or underactive thyroid cannot be diagnosed or excluded by a scan.

A thyroid nodule is a discrete lump within the gland. They are very common, become more common with age, and the large majority are benign.

What matters is the appearance rather than the presence of a nodule, which is what the U1 to U5 grading in your report describes. Most nodules are graded U1 or U2 and need no more than reassurance.

A nodule is a discrete lump that forms within the solid tissue of an organ, which is why the thyroid develops nodules. A polyp is a growth that projects from a lining surface into a hollow space, which is why polyps are described in the bowel, the gallbladder, the uterus and the nose.

The thyroid is a solid gland with no hollow cavity, so a thyroid ultrasound report describes nodules and cysts rather than polyps. If a report you have been given mentions a polyp, it is describing a different organ.

Abnormal covers a wide range, and most abnormal thyroid ultrasound results describe benign findings: a U2 nodule, a simple cyst, a multinodular goitre, a thyroiditis pattern, or a reactive lymph node after a recent infection. Your sonographer explains what has been found before you leave, so you are not waiting on a report to know where you stand.

Where a nodule grades U3 to U5, or a lymph node has features that need a specialist eye, the report says so directly and recommends the next step, which is usually a fine-needle aspiration biopsy under ultrasound guidance through a specialist pathway. A referral letter to your GP, endocrinologist or head and neck specialist is included at no extra charge. If you would prefer to be seen here instead, we can refer you to our private GP or a specialist, and that consultation is booked separately at extra cost.

No. Diagnostic ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves. There is no ionising radiation, no injection and no contrast dye, so the scan is safe to repeat as often as clinically needed. That makes it well suited to monitoring a nodule over time.

London Private Ultrasound has two clinics. Central London is at 27 Welbeck Street, W1G 8EN, in the Harley Street Medical District, a short walk from Bond Street, Oxford Circus and Marylebone. St Albans is at 54 to 56 Victoria Street, AL1 3HZ.

Both offer the thyroid and neck ultrasound seven days a week, 9am to 7pm, with same-day appointments often available.