DVT Ultrasound Scan in London
A swollen, painful or hot calf should not be a waiting game. Doppler ultrasound of the deep veins — the definitive first-line test for deep vein thrombosis — with the answer explained at your scan, and a same-day NHS handover if a clot is found.
- Deep veins checked groin to calf — compression and flow
- 30-minute unhurried examination — most clinics allow 20
- Same-day NHS handover arranged if a clot is found
- 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 a DVT ultrasound scan?
A Doppler examination of the deep veins from groin to calf. Each vein segment is visualised and gently compressed — a healthy vein squashes flat, a clotted one resists — and its flow assessed with colour and spectral Doppler. Both the compression and the flow tell the story, and where useful the other leg is compared. No preparation, no needles, no radiation: around 30 minutes with the screen turned towards you and everything explained as we go.
Why might I need a DVT scan?
The people we see are a real mix: the classic swollen calf after a long-haul flight, post-operative patients whose leg has changed during recovery, people on long periods of immobility or with clotting risk factors — and, just as often, highly anxious individuals who have searched their symptoms and need the question answered properly rather than left to spiral.
All are legitimate reasons to scan. A deep vein thrombosis is common, treatable, and dangerous mainly when ignored. Further reading: calf swelling and DVT and leg pain after flying.
You have sudden breathlessness, chest pain, coughing blood, or feel faint alongside a swollen leg. These can signal a pulmonary embolism, a clot that has travelled to the lungs, and that is a 999 emergency rather than an ultrasound appointment.
- Long-haul flights
- Recent surgery
- Prolonged immobility
- Clotting risk factors
- Pregnancy and HRT
- Femoral vein
- Popliteal vein
- Calf veins
- Compressibility
- Flow and augmentation
Is this scan suitable for me?
A DVT scan is the right booking if any of these sound like you:
- ✓One calf is swollen, painful, warm or discoloured — particularly on one side only
- ✓Symptoms began after a long flight, surgery, or a period of immobility
- ✓You have clotting risk factors and a leg that has changed
- ✓You have been told to keep an eye on it and would rather have it measured
And when it is not the right booking
Breathlessness, chest pain or coughing blood — that is a 999 call for possible pulmonary embolism, and it comes before any scan.
Both legs swollen equally — that pattern usually points at the heart, kidneys or veins in general rather than a single clot. Call us and we will say which examination actually fits.
DVT queries are prioritised — call and we will find the earliest slot.
What happens during the scan?
Around 30 minutes, no preparation, and a clear answer before you leave the room.
- 1
Groin and femoral veinThe examination starts high, where clots are most consequential, assessing compressibility and flow.
- 2
Behind the kneeThe popliteal vein is examined in detail — a common site, and one where findings change management immediately.
- 3
Down the calfThe calf veins are followed and compressed segment by segment.
- 4
Flow, augmentation and comparisonColour and spectral Doppler confirm normal flow patterns, with the other leg compared where it helps.
Why ultrasound is the first-line DVT test
Fast, accurate where it matters most, and honest about its own limits.
Compression is the diagnosis
A vein that will not compress under gentle pressure is the single most reliable ultrasound sign of thrombosis — more dependable than appearance alone.
Flow tells the rest
Colour and spectral Doppler show whether blood is moving normally through each segment, catching partial clots that compression alone might understate.
The honest limit
Ultrasound is excellent in the thigh and behind the knee, and very good in the calf, where small clots can occasionally hide. If your scan is clear but risk stays high, your report says so and recommends the right follow-up.
Understanding your results and next steps
Every outcome ends with you knowing exactly where you stand — the principle behind all our follow-up care.
If we find a clot, before you leave the building
The protocol is immediate: an urgent clinical report written on the spot, a phone call to arrange same-day NHS transfer, and the pathway already moving when you walk out.
You leave with the report in hand and no ambiguity about what happens next. A positive DVT scan is a conversation, a phone call and a plan — not a letter.
A leg that has changed deserves an answer today, not on Monday — DVT queries are prioritised.
Why patients choose IUS London for this
The scan is quick. The pathway behind it is what matters.
Same-day NHS handover
A confirmed clot means an urgent report and a transfer arranged before you leave — not an appointment to chase yourself.
Prioritised appointments
DVT queries jump the queue, because a suspected clot is not a scan that can wait a fortnight.
Answers, not just exclusions
A clear scan still names what else could explain your symptoms and what to do about it.
Explained as we scan
You watch the compression test happen and understand the answer as it emerges, rather than waiting for a letter.
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
DVT scans — your questions answered
How much does a private DVT scan cost?
How quickly can I be seen?
Can a DVT be missed?
I am on a blood thinner already — is the scan still useful?
Does the scan hurt?
Do I need a referral?
Other vascular ultrasound scans we offer
Carotid Artery Scan — £189
Stroke risk assessed: the neck arteries mapped for plaque and any narrowing precisely quantified.
View service →
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm — £139
The aorta measured against national surveillance thresholds — for everyone the NHS programme does not reach.
View service →
All Vascular Ultrasound Scans
Live Doppler haemodynamics, measured with discipline, from £139.
View service →
Further reading: calf swelling and DVT · leg pain after flying · vascular disease explained
Where can you get a DVT scan 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 — DVT queries prioritised
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.
Stop wondering about your leg
The definitive DVT test — answered at the scan, and actioned the same day if needed. 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