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Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Hydrocele

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Hydrocele, and what each one is: not a recommendation. Your clinician decides which scan or test, if any, you need. Prices below are typical UK private ranges; enter your postcode to see the NHS wait near you.

A hydrocele is a collection of fluid in the sac around a testicle, which makes the scrotum swell on one or both sides. About hydrocele and NHS waits →

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Clinical assessment first
A hydrocele is usually diagnosed by examining the scrotum, including shining a light through the swelling.
Ultrasound
Used when the cause of the swelling needs confirming or the testicle cannot be felt clearly.
An ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to produce live images, via a handheld probe on the skin. It uses no radiation.
How long: Usually 15 to 45 minutes.
Good for: Soft tissues near the surface, tendons and muscles, the abdomen and pelvis, and anything best seen moving in real time.
Typical UK private cost: £185 to £495. Usually bookable within days.

Sources: NICE CKS, NHS.

See the wait and price near you

Enter your postcode for the NHS wait at your nearest hospital and the private price range from clinics within 25 miles.

All conditions, scans and tests →MRI waits by hospital →All NHS waiting times →

Wait or Pay is independent and is not the NHS. NHS waits are from DM01 diagnostics data. Nothing here is medical advice; your clinician decides which scan, if any, you need.

How long will you really wait, and how could you go sooner?

Your free companion dashboard compares all four paths for Hydrocele: wait, switch to a faster NHS hospital, part-private, or fully private. It names the faster hospitals near you, shows what going private would cost, and gives you letters ready to send. You can print it or save it as a PDF. Free, and nothing is locked or paid.

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