Department of Adult and Pediatric Diagnostic, Interventional Cardiology - Memorial Ankara Hospital

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Diagnostic, Interventional Cardiology at Memorial Ankara Hospital

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Diagnostic, Interventional Cardiology at the Memorial Ankara Hospital provides high-quality diagnostics and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in patients of all age groups – from newborns to the elderly. The department's competent cardiologists use effective pharmacotherapy regimens in their clinical practice, as well as perform various interventional procedures, which allow the patient to normalize heart function and eliminate the need for more invasive cardiac surgery. The patients with acute coronary syndrome receive around-the-clock care in a specially equipped Chest Pain Unit. The department also includes a specialized center for the diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases of the fetus in the womb. The department's specialists keep pace with the times and apply in their clinical practice many innovations, which are available only in the best Heart Centers in the world. For example, the department successfully practices the very latest technique of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP), which is a non-surgical treatment procedure for coronary heart disease and heart failure. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Ali Oto.

When admitted to the department, each patient has to undergo the required complex of diagnostic tests, depending on the results of the clinical examination, complaints and medical history. The attending physician assesses the state of the cardiovascular system with the help of these diagnostic tests and elaborates the most effective and sparing treatment regimen. The department's medical team works with the advanced diagnostic equipment for electrocardiography, echocardiography, Doppler ultrasonography of the blood vessels, 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring, bicycle ergometer test and treadmill test, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, tilt table test and other examinations. If the patient has to undergo myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, the specialists in the field of nuclear medicine are involved in the diagnostic process. Cardiac CT and MRI scanning is performed in cooperation with the specialists from the Department of Radiology. In addition, the department's cardiologists quite often resort to coronary angiography – an invasive examination of the coronary arteries by injecting a contrast agent into them through special catheters.

The department's medical team has a variety of modern treatments at its disposal, including the implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators, as well as radiofrequency catheter ablation for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, the innovative TAVI technique for the treatment of aortic valve stenosis, balloon mitral valvuloplasty for the treatment of mitral valve stenosis, the MitraClip technique for the treatment of mitral insufficiency, balloon valvuloplasty for pulmonary valve stenosis and other techniques. A unique offer of the department is the enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP), which is an effective non-surgical treatment for coronary heart disease and heart failure. The introduction of this procedure was a breakthrough in cardiology, since the treatment of coronary heart disease was earlier carried out only with the help of bypass surgery and angioplasty. The main advantage of EECP technique is the absence of interventional manipulations and side reactions. The therapeutic effect is achieved by compressing the legs, thighs and buttocks using special cuffs, which are successively inflated with high pressure air, thereby creating a wave of blood pressure in the arteries. As a result, the patient's pressure in the aortic orifice increases and blood flow through the coronary vessels improves, which contributes to the normalization of the heart muscle functioning. The EECP technique was introduced into clinical practice in 1995 and nowadays it is an excellent alternative to the surgical treatment of coronary heart disease and heart failure.

The key focuses of the department's work include:

• Diagnostic options
  • Electrocardiography
  • Echocardiography (ultrasound scanning of the heart)
  • Treadmill exercise stress echocardiography
  • Transesophageal echocardiography
  • Holter monitoring
  • Tilt table test
  • Cardiac catheterization
  • Coronary angiography
  • Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
  • Cardiac CT (in collaboration with the Department of Radiology)
  • Cardiac MRI (in collaboration with the Department of Radiology)
• Therapeutic options
  • Implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
  • Radiofrequency catheter ablation for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
  • Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for the treatment of aortic valve stenosis
  • Balloon mitral valvuloplasty for the treatment of mitral valve stenosis
  • MitraClip for the treatment of mitral insufficiency
  • Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) for the treatment of coronary artery stenosis caused by atherosclerosis
  • Balloon valvuloplasty for the treatment of pulmonary valve stenosis
  • Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) for the treatment of coronary artery disease and heart failure
  • Interventional procedures for the correction of atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect and patent foramen ovale
  • Interventional treatment of coronary arteriovenous fistula
  • Renal denervation in the case of resistant hypertension
• Other diagnostics and treatment methods for cardiac diseases