Abdominal and Urinary Tract Ultrasound in London
One appointment, two examinations: the upper abdominal organs — liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen — and the full urinary tract of kidneys, ureters and bladder, for symptoms that refuse to declare which system they belong to.
- Liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and bladder
- Bladder assessed before and after emptying
- One preparation, one visit, one integrated report
- Findings explained at the scan; written report usually within two hours
- No GP referral required — self-refer today
CQC-registered clinic · Provider ID 1-2775844974 · HCPC-registered sonographers
What is an abdominal and urinary tract ultrasound?
Two complete examinations in one 30-minute appointment. The upper abdomen is assessed first — liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen — and then the urinary tract: both kidneys, the ureteric path, and the bladder examined full and again after you empty it. One sonographer, one sitting, one report that reads both territories together rather than in isolation.
Why might I need both systems examined?
The commonest reasons: pain under the right ribs — the gallbladder’s favourite address — persistent bloating, discomfort that moves around the abdomen, urinary symptoms such as frequency, hesitancy or blood in the urine, flank pain suggesting the kidneys, or abnormal liver or kidney blood tests that need a picture to explain them.
It is also the natural combined examination when symptoms refuse to declare which system they belong to. Rather than a clear abdominal scan that ends with “now book a urinary one”, both are assessed while you are on the couch.
Severe abdominal pain that is sudden or worsening, pain with fever and vomiting, jaundice, inability to pass urine, or visible blood loss need same-day assessment through A&E or NHS 111. A private ultrasound is never a substitute for emergency care.
- Gallstones and wall changes
- Fatty liver and echotexture
- Liver and kidney cysts
- Pancreas, where visible
- Spleen size
- Kidney stones
- Hydronephrosis
- Bladder wall changes
- Post-void residual
- Structural abnormalities
Is this scan suitable for me?
The combined examination is the right booking if any of these sound like you:
- ✓Pain or discomfort that wanders between the upper abdomen and the flanks
- ✓Bloating alongside urinary symptoms, with no clear single culprit
- ✓Abnormal liver or kidney blood tests needing a structural picture
- ✓You would rather clear both systems in one visit than book twice
And when it is not the right booking
A clearly localised symptom — squarely gallbladder or squarely kidney — is answered just as well by the single £159 examination. Call and we will say which.
Bowel-pattern symptoms alone — gas is a visual brick wall for ultrasound. If your symptoms point at the bowel, we will tell you before you book and your report will name the right test.
If a single-system scan would answer your question, we will say so — before you book, not after.
How do I prepare — and why does it genuinely matter here?
This is the one examination where preparation makes or breaks the answer. Full details in the preparation guide.
- 1
Fast for four hoursSmall sips of water are fine. Fasting keeps the gallbladder distended and reduces the gas that hides the pancreas.
- 2
Arrive with a full bladderComfortably full, not bursting — the acoustic window the bladder assessment depends on.
- 3
Upper abdomen firstLiver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen assessed systematically and narrated as we go.
- 4
Urinary tract, then voidKidneys and bladder assessed, then a quick re-check after emptying to measure the residual.
The honest limit: what ultrasound cannot see
The biggest misconception we meet is that ultrasound is a magical check-everything tool. It is not, and knowing where it stops is part of using it well.
Bowel gas is a brick wall
Ultrasound examines solid organs superbly and the stomach and intestines poorly, because gas blocks the beam completely. If your symptoms point at the bowel, we say so plainly and your report says it too.
Calm improves the picture
Anxiety physically distorts an examination. Sixty seconds spent explaining what is on screen relaxes the abdominal wall and genuinely improves the acoustic windows — a calmer patient is literally a clearer scan.
Depth has limits too
Body habitus affects what sound can reach. Where a structure cannot be adequately assessed, the report states that honestly rather than implying a clear view we did not have.
Understanding your results and next steps
Findings are explained at the scan with the screen in view, and your written report follows usually within two hours. The three pathways are set out in follow-up care.
Booked separately, this would be
An abdominal examination at £159 and a urinary tract scan at £159 — two appointments, two preparations, two reports.
The combined examination is £189: one visit, one preparation, one integrated report reading both systems together.
If preparation went wrong on the day, tell us at check-in. We adapt and complete rather than issue a compromised answer.
Two systems, one clear answer — short-notice appointments often available.
Why patients choose IUS London for this
Preparation taken seriously, limits stated honestly, both systems read together.
We adapt rather than compromise
Fasting or bladder preparation went wrong? Water and a wait, or a rebooked completion — never a half-answer presented as a full one.
Narrated as we scan
Each organ named as it is assessed, with the screen turned towards you throughout.
One integrated report
Both territories weighed against each other by the same sonographer, rather than arriving in two letters weeks apart.
Honest about the bowel
Where ultrasound cannot help, the report names the test that can rather than leaving you to work it out.
Why do patients choose IUS London?
Rated 4.9 across 476 Google reviews:
“Yianni was very helpful, knowledgeable and put me very much at ease. I will be going back and very much recommend.”
— Google review
“The staff were professional and made me feel comfortable. Highly recommend it!”
— Google review
“Amazing service. If you are looking for a clinic … this is the place to go.”
— Google review
The combined scan — your questions answered
What does the scan cost, and what is included?
Can you check my stomach or bowel?
What if I could not manage the fasting or full bladder?
How long does it take?
Will this find the cause of my bloating?
Do I need a referral?
Other general ultrasound scans we offer
Kidneys, Ureters & Bladder
The full urinary tract alone, including how completely your bladder empties.
View service →
Hernia Ultrasound
The is-it-a-hernia question settled dynamically — standing, coughing, caught in the act.
View service →
Lumps and Bumps Scan
A lump you can feel but cannot name — cyst, lipoma, lymph node or something needing more.
View service →
Further reading: flank pain — kidney stones or something else · which scan do I need?
Where can you get an abdominal and urinary ultrasound in London?
At IUS London — our CQC-registered clinic in Kensington, three minutes on foot from Notting Hill Gate station (Central, Circle and District lines).
5a Lucerne Mews, Kensington, London W8 4ED
30-minute appointments — short notice welcome
0203 051 6506 · Directions & parking
Getting here is the easy part
By tube: Notting Hill Gate — three minutes on foot.
By bus: Routes along Notting Hill Gate and Kensington Church Street stop nearby.
By car: On-street parking nearby — full options in directions & parking.
Two systems, one clear answer
Because symptoms do not respect anatomical boundaries. Self-refer today — no GP letter required.
Kensington, London W8 4ED
3 mins from Notting Hill Gate
Written and clinically reviewed by the HCPC-registered sonographers who perform this scan at IUS London — a CQC-registered diagnostic ultrasound clinic (Provider ID 1-2775844974). Your own findings are explained to you at the scan and set out in your report.
Author: Yianni Kiromitis, Senior Sonographer, HCPC RA38415
Medically reviewed: 26 July 2026