Görkem Ertürk, who lives in the Manavgat district of Antalya, fell ill at work and experienced short-term vision and hearing loss. Ertürk went to the hospital and the initial examination did not reveal any signs of illness. The next day, Ertürk, who felt a headache and weakness on the left side of his body, went to another hospital. Ertürk, who suspected a bubble in his cerebral veins, applied to the Antalya Education and Research Hospital upon the recommendation that he receive treatment at a more equipped hospital.
RARELY SEEN
Görkem Ertürk, who could not feel his left side when he arrived at the hospital in Antalya, was taken into treatment after the first observation in the emergency room. No bubbles were found in his brain, Ertürk became paralyzed 36 hours later and was taken into treatment in the intensive care unit. In the examinations of Ertürk, who was intubated in the intensive care unit while in a coma, Dr. Lecturer Şennur Delibaş Katı, one of the physicians of the neurology clinic, detected a blockage in the vein in his brain due to a clot.
After obtaining approval from the patient’s wife for the treatment of a rare condition that results in coma and severe paralysis, a clot removal procedure was performed using the closed method. Interventional Neurologist Şennur Delibaş Katı and her team successfully performed the clot removal procedure from the veins in a 3.5-hour operation. Ertürk began moving the right side of his body 24 hours after the operation and the left side on the 2nd day.
Dr. Şennur Delibaş Katı emphasized that the patient who was paralyzed due to a rare condition could lose his life if intervention was not made within 48 hours. Stating that the patient came face to face with death in a short time, Katı explained that the treatment applied with the closed method was applied in a small number of cases in Turkey and for the first time in Antalya.
THE OPERATION LASTED 3.5 HOURS
Şennur Delibaş Katı, who stated that no bubbles were detected in the brain during the controls, said, “Our patient became paralyzed within 36 hours and was followed up intubated. In the examination, we determined cerebral sinus venous thrombosis, where the veins in the patient’s brain were blocked by a clot. Despite our patient receiving treatment for 2 days, we decided to perform a closed method called venous thrombectomy, which is rarely performed in Turkey, to remove the clot from the vein due to deterioration.
After receiving approval from the patient’s wife, we performed the procedure. After the operation, which lasted approximately 3.5 hours, we removed the clot from the vein and ended the procedure after we saw flow in the veins. The patient moved his right side within 24 hours and his left side on the second day. He was separated from the machine and we followed up with blood thinners. Our discharged patient will undergo check-ups and treatment for up to 6 months. It is very important for such procedures to be performed by interventional neurologists. The decision to perform the procedure and the implementation of the procedure by physicians who see the patient at the first moment and then follow up with him for the rest of his life can be seen as a life-saving measure in such patients,” he said.
‘IT WAS A DIFFICULT PROCESS’
Görkem Ertürk, who was discharged from the hospital where he was paralyzed, expressed his happiness of regaining his health with the words, “I have returned to life.” Ertürk said, “I had a headache for 4 days. I occasionally experienced vision and hearing loss. Then I experienced numbness on my left side and difficulty speaking. After I came to the hospital, I was taken to intensive care because I was rapidly deteriorating. My doctor gave me life for the second time. It was a difficult process, I was very scared when I came to the hospital. I am very well now, I can do my job. I have returned to life.” (DHA)