Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Kidney stones

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Kidney stones, 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.

Kidney stones are hard lumps that can form in the kidneys when waste products in the urine build up and stick together. About kidney stones and NHS waits →

Get your free companion dashboard for Kidney stones to support you through your journey: the faster hospitals near you and every option, compared.

Get your free companion dashboard→

Urine and blood tests first

Kidney stones are assessed from your symptoms, with urine and blood tests to help. These are tests, not scans.

CT scan (CT KUB)

The main scan: a low-dose CT of the kidneys, ureters and bladder is the first-line test to confirm a stone and show its size and position. A GP can request it.

A CT (computed tomography) scan uses X-rays and a computer to build cross-sectional images. It is faster than MRI and uses a low dose of radiation.

How long: Usually 10 to 20 minutes.

Good for: Bone detail, the chest and abdomen, and situations where speed matters.

Typical UK private cost: £360 to £1080. Usually bookable within days.

Ultrasound

An alternative scan, often used first in younger adults and in pregnancy to avoid the radiation of a CT. An X-ray is sometimes used to track a known stone.

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 (NG118), 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 Kidney stones: 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.

Get your free companion dashboard→