Breast cancer is the second most common cancer women face second only to lung cancer and it is the most feared cancer or disease for most women.

Breast cancer occurs in about 12% of women who will live to the age of 90.

Several well-established factors increase the risk of breast cancer and they include family history, nulliparity (not having had children), early menarche (starting menstrual cycles early), advanced age and a personal history of breast cancer. Other risks include exposure to environmental toxins such as tobacco smoke that increase the chance for cancer growth. 

Early education on the self-breast exam and early screening is extremely important in achieving good outcomes. Self-exam and physician examination will detect cancer at a rate between 70 to 80%. Adding screening mammography (mammograms) will increase detection to 96 - 98%. It has been shown that early detection through clinical exam and mammography can reduce breast carcinoma mortality by 20 to 30%. Today's gold standard for screening (mammograms) will still miss between 10 and 15% of neoplasm.

If a clinically noted mass is followed by a negative mammogram the workup should then include breast ultrasound and/or a fine needle aspiration cytology and close interval examinations.

Ultrasound scanning is the main primary investigation for many of the urologican disorders asociated with men. The male urinary tract includes the kidneys, the bladder and the prostate. Other urological conditions affecting men involve the scrotum, testes and penis.

Ultrasound examination can be performed on the patients bedside in acute situations where the patient is admitted to accident and emergency or as routine investigations. Routine investigations are being performed in an NHS hospital following a doctor's referral or by the private sector. Docto's ultrasound referral is not always required when your scan is undertaken by a private ultrasound provider.

As NHS waiting times for routine ultrasound investigations can be as long as 6 weeks+, it is very common these days for patient to book a private ultrasound instead. Having your ultrasound scan performed  by a private ultrasound clinic such as Sonoworld has the advantage of being able to choose the most suitable time and date and the ultrasound results will be with you and your doctor significantly faster than the NHS.  You can also combine your private urinary tract scan with any other ultrasound scan for men and blood tests for a wholistic diagnosis.

 Common Urological Condition

The most common urological conditions affecting men are:

Sonoworld, your leading provider of private ultrasound scans and other health tests in London, has been featured in the British Thoughts Magazine. Find out What the Magazine said about us.

A patient discussing the results of her pelvic ultrasound scan with a sonographer in London

A transvaginal ultrasound scan is one of the most common ultrasound examination, regularly used to identify any pathology related to the female reproductive system. You have probably visited your doctor who has requested a pelvic ultrasound.  What can you expect? 

What are the reasons that doctors request a pelvic ultrasound?

The most common reasons for a pelvic ultrasound examination are:

- Pelvic pain

- Abnormal uterine or vaginal bleeding

Diagnostic scan images

Diagnostic Imaging is a pivotal part of health care in diagnosing the reasons for patients health complains. There are different imaging techniques such as x-rays, ultrasound, MRI and CT scans.

A woman is having a breast ultrasound scan

A breast ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create  images of  the breast tissue. It is primarily used to  diagnose breast lumps or other abnormalities your doctor or you may have found during a physical exam,

You are in the right place if you are looking for a private ultrasound in London. At Sonoworld Diagnostics we offer an extensive range of private ultrasound scans in a convenient central London location, in Harley Street district.

Ultrasound scans are a routine part of the prenatal care enabling obstetricians and pregnant women to monitor the development of the unborn baby from as early as 5 weeks gestation.

A sonographer applying gen on an ultrasound probe to start the private scan

Many people want to know what a private ultrasound cost is in London, but unfortunately, there is no quick answer. Well, there is, but the answer is "it depends…….!"

The private scan prices reported online by Private Health in London and mainly in Harley street where we are located, are ranging from £180 to £400 with an average price of £327 for the private abdominal scan.

Some websites from ultrasound clinics that offer private ultrasound in London advertise ultrasound prices starting from £30. It does make you, however, wonder what you get for your money.

In one of these private scan clinics in London, you get a 10mins scan ... This raises concerns about the diagnostic accuracy of these scans. Would you trust them with your and your loved ones lives?

In another ultrasound centre, it takes you 10mins just to find out which exam is the cheap one and it is the one that no one really needs or wants.

A pregnant lady is having a pregnancy scan

Ultrasound is a routine part of the prenatal care enabling obstetricians and pregnant women to monitor the development of the unborn baby from as early as 5 weeks gestation.

Ultrasound is being used not only to evaluate the normal development of the baby but also to identify the sex and provide 3D and 4D images something that became possible following advances in the development of  ultrasound equipment.

Early pregnancy scans

In early pregnancy, ultrasound is being used to reassurance that the pregnancy is progressing satisfactorily and that the baby's heartbeat is present. For mother with irregular periods, ultrasound is being used to date the pregnancy through ultrasound measurements.

This early pregnancy scan is of great value to any mother who may have concerns about the health of their baby, who is unsure of how far along she is or simply wishes to see the pregnancy progressing. It can help reduce anxiety.

a woman is having an ultrasound scan of her lower abdomen

Ultrasound is a non-invasive investigation which is being used to monitor and diagnose conditions in many parts of the body. Some men's and women's tests including testicular, gynaecological and pregnancy scans are carried out using ultrasound. In the UK you can choose between private ultrasound and NHS ultrasound scans.

An ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the interior organs of the human body. These images are displayed on a monitor and can then be stored electronically. The ultrasound scanner uses the same technology as the sonar used by ships. During your scan, a probe is passed over an area of your body. The sound waves bounce off internal organs and are passed back through the microphone to a computer. The computer turns these sound waves into images that are displayed on a monitor.

Ultrasound Imaging  is widely used these days as it is painless and safe for adults, children and foetuses. There are no side effects such as the ones associated with other imaging modalities, for example  ionising radiation produced by CT and plain x-rays.
Ultrasound is being used to image mostly solid soft organs such as liver, kidneys, uterus and ovaries, muscles and blood vessels and babies in the womb. It has, however, limited value in organs such as lungs, bone, stomach and bowel/colon.
The scan images are black and white but colour Doppler is being used to evaluate organ blood flow and blood vessels and this is what the red and blue colours on the screen are.

What is ultrasound used for?

Ultrasound is used for a wide variety of scans, including:

Fatty liver is a very common ultrasound finding. Find out how stopping alcohol for October can help your liver recover.

October is Medical Ultrasound awareness month aiming to create awareness of the role diagnostic medical sonographers play in the medical community and to educate the public about medical ultrasound and its many uses in healthcare. Most people still associate ultrasound with baby ultrasound scans. Medical ultrasound, however, has much wider uses in the medicine and it is being used to diagnose or exclude a wide of abnormalities such problems with the liver, uterus and ovaries, breasts, testes and even heart.

What is ultrasound?

Medical ultrasound (also known as diagnostic sonography or ultrasonography) is a medical imaging technique that uses sound waves to produce images of internal body structures. Most of the people are aware of the navy sonar being used to track items in the sea. The sonar uses high-frequency sound waves that bounce from objects and return to the transmitter that becomes a receiver. This is the same principle with the radar that is being used to spot aeroplanes in the sky and the infamous speed cameras.

The sonar technology, therefore, has been adapted to be used in medical imaging so the sonographer or radiologists can visualise internal body structures.

An article published in the Daily Mail on 28^th of July with the title: 'How could a doctor tell us our baby had DIED in the womb? Couple's fury after 'miscarriage' scan blunder almost led them to abort their healthy daughter', describes how a baby came close to being aborted when the parents told that the baby had died in the early weeks of pregnancy.

The couple were given the devastating news that the mother suffered early fetal demise at 6 weeks gestation during an early pregnancy scan. The scan was performed by a reputable ultrasound clinic in London that specialises in baby scans.

You can read the full article here.

We would like to reassure our pregnant mothers that in our London ultrasound clinic our sonographers follow the latest guidelines from NICE, ISUOG and BMUS and that we are not trying to cut corners by offering substandard cheap private scans.

The NICE guidelines for diagnosing viable intrauterine pregnancy using ultrasound are as follows:

 What is the Cost of private ultrasound in Harley Street, London?

The main reason of having a private scan in London is to jump the NHS que that can be up to 6 weeks long. Other than faster diagnosis and treatments people choose to have a private scan due to the flexibility of choosing a date and time that doesnt affect their working life and daily plans.

Many people want to know what a private ultrasound cost is in London, but unfortunately there is no quick answer. Well, there is, but the answer is "it depends…….!"

The private scan prices reported online by Private Health in London  and mainly in Harley street where we are located ranging from £180 to £400 with an average price of £327 for the private abdominal scan.

Some websites from ultrasound clinics that offer private scans in London advertise ultrasound prices starting from £30. It does makes you however wonder what you get for your money.

In one of the private scan clinics in London you get a 10mins scan ... This raises concerns about the diagnostic accuracy of these scans. Would you trust them with your and your loved ones lives?

Lunch Time Ultrasound Scans in the heart of London - Harley Street

Our private scan clinic in London's Harley Street is always at the forefront of customer care and we are extremely happy to announce that after popular demand, we are now able to offer ultrasound scans during your lunch break. We are always doing our best to offer you flexible scan appointments around your schedule and now we are able to offer you the flexibility of giving your ultrasound scan during your lunch break.

Our clinic is located in the busiest part from London just a couple of minutes walk from Oxford Street and Regent Street and quite often our clients work locally requested scans on their lunch time. Unfortunately we were not able to fulfil their request until now.

As of this week you can book a convenient private scan during your lunchtime between the hours o12 and 2pm. This will help to significantly reduce the convenience associated with waiting to hear of your appointment after work and probably missing the train back home.

You can book your private ultrasound scan by using our online booking system or by calling our clinic. Please also remember that some scans such as the abdominal ultrasound scan requires at least 4 hours fasting.

Walk-in Ultrasound - Harley Street, London

It is very common for clients to walk in our ultrasound clinic in Harley Street, London to check for any available scan slots, especially on their lunch breaks as our clinic is located in the heart of London. 

We do understand that it is not always possible to wait and schedule a private ultrasound and we always do our best to accommodate any walk-in clients. 

Sometimes, however, this may not be possible due to fully booked schedule. There are also multiple ultrasound exams that some preparation may be necessary and if you, therefore, come prepared the ultrasound examination may be unsatisfactory and won’t be able to give you the answers you’re looking for. A repeat scan might be necessary in these cases.

As will always do our utmost to offer same day scans to clients who need them and to avoid disappointment the best way to check our availability and if we can accommodate any walk-in clients is to either check our online booking system or give us a call on 020 3633 4902.