Vascular Ultrasound Scans in London
DVT checks, carotid artery assessment and abdominal aortic aneurysm scans — live Doppler imaging of your blood flow, by sonographers who measure it for a living.
- Live haemodynamics — not a static picture, a moving map of flow
- Urgent findings fast-tracked — same-day NHS handover when it matters
- 30-minute unhurried appointments — most clinics allow 20
- Findings explained at the scan; written report usually within two hours
- Self-referral — no GP letter required
CQC-registered clinic · Provider ID 1-2775844974 · HCPC-registered sonographers
Three scans, three different worries
DVT Scan
A swollen or painful calf after a flight, surgery or immobility — the deep veins checked for clots, with same-day NHS handover if one is found.
About DVT scans →
Carotid Arteries
Family history of stroke, high cholesterol, or a GP’s suggestion — the neck arteries mapped for plaque and any narrowing precisely quantified.
About carotid scans →
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Missed the NHS screening at 65, family history, or simply want to know — the aorta measured against national surveillance thresholds.
About AAA scans →
Symptom first? Start with our guides: calf swelling and DVT · leg pain after a flight · carotid screening and stroke risk · vascular disease explained
Why vascular scanning is a craft of its own
Vascular ultrasound is uniquely challenging because we are not taking a static picture of an organ — we are meticulously mapping the live haemodynamics of moving blood.
It is highly operator-dependent: the accuracy of the diagnosis relies entirely on the sonographer’s discipline and skill in holding the probe at the perfect, microscopic angle to capture true flow velocities. Get the angle wrong and the numbers lie; get it right, consistently, and the scan becomes a precise instrument. That discipline — unhurried, measured, repeatable — is what you are booking.
Sudden breathlessness or chest pain with a swollen leg (possible pulmonary embolism), stroke symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulty, or sudden severe abdominal or back pain with faintness. These are 999 emergencies; no scan booking comes first.
What vascular ultrasound can — and cannot — tell you
It can detect deep-vein clots with excellent accuracy, quantify carotid narrowing, measure the aorta to the millimetre, and map flow through superficial vessels in real time, with no radiation and no contrast.
It cannot see every vessel in the body — vessels deep in the chest and head belong to CT and MR angiography — and a normal scan today is a statement about today, not a lifetime guarantee. Where the question outgrows ultrasound, your report says so and names the right next test. If you are unsure which examination fits, our which-scan guide or a phone call sorts it in minutes.
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
Which vascular scan do you need?
- Calf swelling, warmth or pain in one leg — DVT scan
- A pulsing sensation in the abdomen, or family history — AAA scan
- Stroke risk assessment or a neck bruit found by your GP — carotid scan
- Aortic surveillance between NHS appointments — AAA scan
- Leg symptoms after long-haul travel — DVT scan
- D-dimer or any blood test — through your GP or A&E
- Varicose vein treatment or sclerotherapy
- CT angiography or MR angiography
- Cardiac assessment or echocardiography
- Emergency same-day clot exclusion — that is the NHS pathway
How we think about vascular scanning
Three principles, including one that costs us bookings.
Suspected clot is an NHS emergency
A hot, swollen, painful calf needs the same-day NHS pathway — assessment, D-dimer and scanning within hours. A private appointment tomorrow is the wrong answer, and we say so on the phone.
Screening healthy arteries has costs
Routine carotid screening in people without symptoms is not recommended in the UK. Finding narrowing that was never going to cause trouble generates anxiety and sometimes procedures that carry their own risk.
Aneurysms are the strong case
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is silent until it is dangerous, and a measurement is quick and definitive. Men in England are invited free at 65 — take it, and we can measure sooner or in between.
What a vascular scan tends to show
TIA symptoms are a 999 call, not a scan booking. Face drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulty — even if it resolves within minutes — needs emergency assessment immediately.
How we work
Scanned by the person reporting it
The sonographer who scans you writes your report. Nothing goes to a remote reader.
Doppler as standard
Blood flow is measured, not just anatomy pictured — that is what makes a vascular scan a vascular scan.
Measured for comparison
Aortic and arterial measurements are recorded so the next scan reads as a trajectory rather than a fresh guess.
We turn away urgent cases
If your symptoms need the NHS same-day pathway, we tell you rather than take the booking.
Vascular scans — your questions answered
Which vascular scan do I need?
How much do vascular scans cost?
Do I need a GP referral?
What happens if you find something urgent?
Is there any radiation or injection?
How quickly can I be seen?
Do I need a GP referral for a vascular scan?
My calf is swollen and painful. Should I book a DVT scan?
Should I have a carotid scan to check my stroke risk?
Do you offer D-dimer or blood tests?
Where can you get a vascular 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 — 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.
See your blood flow, live
Doppler vascular scanning — measured with discipline, explained with honesty. 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