Hernia Ultrasound Scan in London
The is-it-a-hernia question, answered while you watch. A dynamic examination that catches the bulge in the act — groin, inguinal, umbilical, incisional and abdominal-wall hernias assessed standing, coughing and straining.
- Dynamic assessment — standing, coughing, Valsalva
- Hidden hernias and the impostors both identified
- Defect size, contents and reducibility documented for a surgeon
- 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 hernia ultrasound?
An ultrasound examination of the abdominal wall performed both lying and standing, with you coughing or bearing down while we watch the area in real time. Ultrasound is the first-line test for hernias precisely because hernias are creatures of movement: a defect that hides while you lie flat declares itself on your feet. The diagnosis here is a verb, not a noun.
Why might I need a hernia ultrasound?
Usually one of three stories: a lump in the groin or around the navel that comes and goes, often more obvious standing, lifting or coughing; an ache or dragging sensation in the groin without an obvious lump, where a hidden hernia is one suspect among several; or a known hernia, or previous repair, where you and your surgeon need to know what it is doing now.
Our line for immediate surgical referral is absolute: any sign the hernia is incarcerated — it cannot be pushed back — strangulated, or causing severe pain goes straight to a surgeon, stated urgently in your report and told to you plainly in the room.
A hernia lump becomes hard, very painful and cannot be pushed back, especially with vomiting, fever, or a lump that turns red or dark. These are signs of strangulation, a surgical emergency measured in hours.
- Inguinal and femoral
- Umbilical and epigastric
- Incisional, at old scars
- Spigelian and rare sites
- Rectus divarication
- Lymph nodes
- Lipomas
- Cysts
- Vascular structures
- Muscle tears
Is this scan suitable for me?
A hernia ultrasound is the right booking if any of these sound like you:
- ✓A lump in the groin or near the navel that appears when you stand, lift or cough
- ✓A dragging ache in the groin with no visible lump
- ✓A known hernia you want measured before seeing a surgeon
- ✓A previous repair and a suspicion something has come back
And when it is not the right booking
The lump is hard, painful and will not push back — especially with vomiting or fever. That is A&E today, not a scan next week.
The lump is in breast tissue — that belongs on the specialist breast pathway, and we will say so rather than scan it anyway.
If your lump is more likely something else, the same appointment identifies that too.
How does the question actually get settled?
No preparation needed — just wear something that gives easy access to the area. Around 30 minutes, lying and standing, with every manoeuvre explained before it happens.
- 1
Assessed lying downThe area is examined at rest, establishing the anatomy and looking for any defect visible without provocation.
- 2
Valsalva and coughYou bear down or cough while we watch in real time — the moment tissue protrudes through the wall as pressure rises.
- 3
Standing assessmentRepeated upright, because gravity is often what makes an intermittent hernia appear at all.
- 4
Documented for the surgeonThe defect measured, its contents identified as fat or bowel, and whether it reduces recorded — the details a surgical clinic needs.
Why dynamic assessment beats a static picture
Hernias are intermittent by nature. The test has to move with you.
Pressure reveals the defect
Coughing and bearing down raise intra-abdominal pressure, pushing tissue through a weakness that is otherwise invisible. Ultrasound is the only common imaging that watches this happen live.
Naming the impostor matters
A groin lump that is actually a lymph node, lipoma, cyst or vascular structure gets correctly named instead of wrongly referred for repair — which spares you an operation you never needed.
Contents change the urgency
Fat within a small defect and bowel within a tight one are different clinical situations. Documenting what passes through, and whether it reduces, is what makes a report surgically useful.
What do the results mean?
Findings are explained on screen, and your report — usually within two hours — states what was found, its size and contents, whether it reduces, and the sensible next step. The pathways are set out in follow-up care.
Does a hernia always mean surgery?
No. Many small, easily reducible, minimally symptomatic hernias are safely monitored for years.
What changes the answer is size, symptoms, contents and whether it reduces — which is exactly what this examination documents.
Our job is to give you and your surgeon the facts. The decision stays yours.
Catch it in the act — stand, cough, and watch the answer appear.
Why patients choose IUS London for this
The manoeuvres are the examination. We do them properly.
Standing and straining, always
Not a quick look while you lie flat. If the hernia only appears upright, we get you upright.
The impostors get named
A lump that is not a hernia leaves with the right diagnosis rather than an unnecessary surgical referral.
Surgeon-ready reports
Defect size, contents, reducibility — written so a surgical clinic can act without repeating the imaging.
Absolute on the red flags
Incarceration, strangulation or severe pain goes straight to a surgeon, said plainly in the room and urgently in the report.
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
Hernia ultrasound — your questions answered
How much does a private hernia scan cost?
Will you make me cough and stand up?
My lump comes and goes — what if it hides on the day?
Do I need surgery if a hernia is found?
Does the examination hurt?
Do I need a referral?
Other general ultrasound scans we offer
Lumps and Bumps Scan
A lump you can feel but cannot name — cyst, lipoma, lymph node or something needing more.
View service →
Kidneys, Ureters & Bladder
The full urinary tract, including how completely your bladder empties.
View service →
Abdominal & Urinary Tract
Liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen alongside the urinary tract — two systems, one visit.
View service →
Unsure which examination fits? Our which-scan guide sorts it in minutes.
Where can you get a hernia 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.
Catch it in the act
Dynamic hernia assessment — stand, cough, and watch the answer appear. 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