Department of Pulmonology and Somnology - Memorial Ankara Hospital

About the Department of Pulmonology and Somnology at Memorial Ankara Hospital

The Department of Pulmonology and Somnology at the Memorial Ankara Hospital offers the full range of medical services for the diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the lungs, respiratory tract and sleep disorders. Of particular interest for the department's doctors is the treatment of lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma, pleurisy, sarcoidosis, pulmonary embolism, as well as various infectious lung diseases. The department has a modern Bronchoscopy Unit for the comprehensive assessment of the state of the upper and lower respiratory tract from the inside, as well as the state of their mucous membranes. In addition, the department's diagnostic options are supplemented with X-ray, endobronchial sonography, fluorography, spirometry and other examinations. The department also has a Sleep Laboratory, where the competent specialists detect the causes of sleep-related breathing disorders and effectively eliminate them. The department's pulmonologists have excellent qualifications and extensive clinical experience, which helps them to competently combine classical and innovative treatments in order to achieve a complete cure of the patient. The treatment regimen is selected only on an individual basis. Should surgical treatment be required, thoracic surgeons will be involved in the treatment process. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Metin Ozkan.

The focus of the department's medical team is on patients with lung cancer. This disease is asymptomatic for a long time, which greatly complicates its diagnostics and detection at the initial stages. To confirm the presence of an oncological process in the lungs, the department's specialists perform a set of tests, which includes PET-CT, computed tomography, bronchoscopy, tumor marker tests and other laboratory tests. In the case of a detected neoplasm, pulmonologists also perform a biopsy, which is required for accurate determination of the type of tumor, its size, localization and stage. These clinical indicators form the basis for the development of an effective treatment regimen for oncology. In most cases, the first line treatment is surgical resection of the neoplasm, which is performed by thoracic surgeons. The specialists use an innovative surgical technique – video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). During such an operation, a small skin incision up to 5-8 cm in size is made, so the patients tolerate such interventions easily. Such a surgical procedure also excludes prolonged hospitalization. However, surgery does not allow the doctors to achieve a complete cure of cancer, so the surgery is necessarily complemented by radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. The team of the department's pulmonologists also has a perfect command of the innovative laser photodestruction technique, which is highly effective for lung cancer treatment. Targeted therapy is also widely used. At the advanced stages of the disease, the doctors provide palliative care in order to eliminate pain and improve the patient's quality of life.

The department's doctors regularly admit patients with obstructive pulmonary disease. The cause of these diseases can be a poor environmental situation, professional activity, as well as all kinds of infections. The department uses state-of-the-art equipment for the diagnostics of this category of diseases. The main diagnostic methods are spirometry and cytological tests. To exclude similar diseases, X-ray scanning is performed. The treatment involves the use of the very latest drugs and oxygen therapy. THe last one implies the use of air for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes.

The treatment of sarcoidosis is also one of the department's clinical priorities. It is an inflammatory disorder, which most commonly affects the lymphatic system and lungs. Respiratory symptoms include shortness of breath, cough and breathing difficulties. The diagnostics involves the use of innovative imaging systems and chest X-rays, as well as biopsy. The standard treatment protocol for sarcoidosis in the department is based on an individually selected regimen of intake of corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as immunosuppressants. In the case of affection of other organs of the human body by sarcidosis, the department's pulmonologists involve specialists from related medical fields to the therapeutic process.

The patients who come to the department in search of the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders undergo diagnostics within the specialized Sleep Laboratory. Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common diagnoses in this field. Inpatient polysomnography is the gold standard for the diagnostics of this pathology. Depending on the particular causes of the development of the disease, the specialists select the optimal treatment regimen, which can include both conservative and surgical methods. If possible, the preference is given to conservative methods, for example, oxygen therapy using special equipment.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Diagnostics and treatment of lung cancer
• Diagnostics and treatment of obstructive pulmonary disease (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis)
• Diagnostics and treatment of sarcoidosis
• Diagnostics and treatment of allergic respiratory diseases
• Diagnostics and treatment of pleurisy
• Diagnostics and treatment of pneumonia
• Diagnostics and treatment of chronic cough
• Diagnostics and treatment of pneumothorax
• Diagnostics and treatment of pulmonary embolism
• Diagnostics and treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders
• Smoking cessation programs
• Non-invasive ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit
• Other medical services