Thyroid Ultrasound Scan, Cardiff & South Wales

£260 all-inclusive. That covers the consultation, the scan, immediate verbal results and a written report within 24-48 hours. Adding a second area in the same appointment is £360, and three areas is £399.

Book thyroid if your concern is the gland itself: a swelling at the front of the neck, a nodule, an abnormal blood test, or monitoring something already known about. Book our neck scan if it is a lump elsewhere in the neck, swollen glands or a salivary gland problem. Both are £260, and if you pick the wrong one the consultant simply scans what is relevant on the day.

No. Function, meaning whether the gland is underactive or overactive, is measured by blood tests (TSH and T4). Ultrasound shows the structure: size, nodules, texture and composition. They answer different questions and are usually read together, which is why we can arrange thyroid blood tests alongside the scan.

Every nodule is graded on a standardised ultrasound scale, looking at whether it is solid or cystic, its outline, its shape, its echogenicity and any calcification. That score, combined with the size of the nodule, is what determines whether a fine-needle aspiration biopsy is recommended. A small nodule with a low score is usually just watched; a higher score, or a large nodule, moves the threshold for sampling.

Almost certainly not. Thyroid nodules are very common, particularly in women and with increasing age, and the great majority are benign. Ultrasound identifies the features that raise or lower suspicion, which is what the scoring is for. A definitive answer needs a biopsy, and most people never need one.

If your TSH is abnormal and you can also feel a swelling or a nodule, then yes. If the blood test is the only abnormality, a scan can still help by showing thyroiditis or other structural change, though treatment decisions in that situation are usually led by the bloods themselves rather than the images.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the autoimmune condition behind most underactive thyroids, gives the gland a characteristic coarse, patchy appearance, sometimes with small nodules. Ultrasound supports the diagnosis but does not make it on its own: antibody blood tests do that.

That depends on its score and size, and on whether it has changed. Your consultant will tell you what interval is appropriate in your case and why, following national guidance. If you bring your previous scan report, we can compare directly, which is the whole point of surveillance and is often the most useful thing you can do.

Most people do not need one. Where a fine-needle aspiration is recommended, we arrange it with a specialist rather than performing it here, and your report sets out exactly which nodule and why so nothing is repeated unnecessarily.

About 20-30 minutes, including time to talk through the findings.

Yes. It uses sound waves rather than radiation, so it is safe in pregnancy and can be repeated as often as needed. Thyroid problems are relatively common in pregnancy and around childbirth, and ultrasound is the right first imaging test in that situation.

Yes. Immediate verbal results at the appointment, plus a written consultant report within 24-48 hours, with each nodule measured, described and scored. With your permission we can send it to your GP or endocrinologist.

Acorn Private Clinic at Penarth (CF64 2AD), 10 minutes from Cardiff, with free street parking.