Otolaryngological Diagnosis in Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul

About the department

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul offers the full range of medical services for patients with diseases of the ear, throat, nose, paranasal sinuses, vocal cords, as well as pharyngeal and laryngeal diseases. The scope of tasks of the department's medical team also includes the treatment of sleep disorders and balance disorders. Of particular interest is therapy of benign and malignant head and neck tumors. The department's specialists admit patients of different age groups, including children. The Chief Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Sami Katırcıoglu.

The patients' health is in the safe hands of highly qualified doctors, who have colossal clinical experience and professional achievements. The doctors' skills are complemented by the very latest diagnostic and treatment methods, including the very latest drugs, many of which are not available in developing countries. Surgical treatment is performed in high-tech operating rooms, with observance of the strictest standards of sterility and safety.

Since the treatment success largely depends on the quality and accuracy of diagnostics, the department has advanced systems for laryngoscopy, otoscopy, rhinoscopy, audiometry, impedancemetry, radiography and other informative examinations, with the help of which the attending physician can detect the slightest pathological changes in the ENT organs and select the optimal type of treatment, taking into account the individual needs and wishes of the patient. The department's medical team always strives to solve the otolaryngological problem using the most sparing treatment methods. The radical surgical measures become an option of choice only if all other treatments do not provide satisfactory results and do not improve the patient's condition.

It should be noted that most operations on ENT organs are performed using sparing endoscopic techniques, which do not require tissue incision – the pathological focus is accessed through the natural body openings. The minimal trauma of such surgical interventions contributes to the patient's recovery in the shortest possible time. In addition, the risk of complications and relapses of the disease is significantly reduced. The department's medical team often practices functional endoscopic sinus surgery, endoscopic surgery for blocked tear duct, endoscopic procedures for interventions on the maxillary and frontal sinuses, endoscopic treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and other interventions.

One of the most important fields of work of the medical facility is the treatment of benign and malignant head and neck tumors. The department's specialists provide highly effective treatment of all types of soft tissue head and neck neoplasms, including pharyngeal and laryngeal tumors, fibromas, neuromas, lipomas of the head and neck, soft tissue sarcomas, nasopharyngeal and thyroid tumors, vocal cord and salivary gland tumors. The department regularly hosts interdisciplinary tumor boards, during which the specialists from related fields cooperatively develop a treatment plan for each patient. The preference is always given to sparing therapeutic methods, which at the same time allow the doctors to achieve an optimal result. The department's surgeons have excellent qualifications and rich clinical experience, which contributes to high treatment success rates, even in particularly complex cases.

The department's specialists are also proud of the outstanding results in the field of cochlear implantation. This therapy method is the most effective and safe for the treatment of adults and children with severe hearing loss and deafness. A prerequisite for cochlear implantation is the preservation of the fibers of the auditory nerve, subcortical and cortical auditory centers, as well as the patency of the cochlear passage. The department has the necessary diagnostic equipment for assessment of these characteristics, since if it is possible to improve hearing with the help of correctly selected hearing aids, it does not make sense to perform cochlear implantation. The essence of the operation to place a cochlear implant is to insert an active electrode into the cochlea. The active electrode provides the transmission of coded acoustic information by electrical stimulation of the remaining auditory nerve fibers. The duration of the operation is 1,5-3 hours. The service life of the cochlear implant is quite long – it will work flawlessly for decades. The final stage of treatment is postoperative hearing and speech rehabilitation. This is a complex and time-consuming process, especially in children, since professionals need to teach a child to perceive, distinguish and recognize sounds around them, understand their meaning and use this experience for speech development. At every stage of treatment, both adults and young patients receive medical care from the doctors, who use modern medical and technical resources in order to achieve perfect results and return the patient's ability to hear.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Diagnostics and treatment of ear diseases
  • Otitis
  • Otosclerosis
  • Hearing loss
  • Deafness
  • Tinnitus
  • Congenital ear anomalies in children
• Diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses
  • Rhinitis
  • Sinusitis
  • Maxillary sinusitis
  • Polyps and cysts of the nose and paranasal sinuses
  • Neoplasms of the nose and paranasal sinuses
  • Nasal septum deviation
• Diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the pharynx, larynx and vocal cords
  • Pharyngitis
  • Laryngitis
  • Abscesses
  • Tonsillitis
  • Foreign bodies
  • Benign and malignant tumors
  • Laryngeal stenosis
  • Vocal cord paralysis
• Diagnostics and treatment of dizziness and balance disorders
• Diagnostics and treatment of sleep disorders
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Snore
• Diagnostics and treatment of benign and malignant head and neck tumors
• Diagnostics and treatment of other ENT diseases