Op. Hasan Karatas

A 35-year-old woman with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome had recurrent spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks through her nose. Multiple repairs had failed. Dr. Karatas used a multilayer repair with tensor fascia lata from her thigh and fibrin glue enriched with her own platelets. He also designed a climate-controlled home environment plan accounting for Antalya's humidity fluctuations.

A 17-year-old competitive freediver from a coastal village presented with recurrent barotrauma and persistent ear fullness. Dr. Karatas discovered a rare congenital defect in her eustachian tube structure exacerbated by deep diving. He performed a minimally invasive endoscopic tuboplasty using a novel bio-absorbable stent he helped develop. The patient returned to competition after 8 weeks, setting a new national depth record.

A 78-year-old retired olive grove keeper with severe hearing loss and dementia was brought by his estranged son. The patient communicated only through whistling bird calls. Dr. Karatas identified advanced otosclerosis but also recognized the whistling as intentional communication. He coordinated with a speech therapist to create a 'bird call hearing aid' interface, allowing the man to hear his son's voice for the first time in 15 years while preserving his unique communication method.

A 32-year-old Syrian refugee seamstress presented with a nasal septal perforation from untreated childhood diphtheria. She couldn't afford conventional treatment. Dr. Karatas pioneered a two-stage reconstruction using processed amniotic membrane from hospital births and cartilage from her own nasal floor, all covered under the hospital's humanitarian fund. She regained normal breathing and now teaches sewing to other refugee women.

A 42-year-old deep-sea fisherman presented with explosive decompression injury to his inner ears after a diving accident. He couldn't balance on his boat. Dr. Karatas developed a custom vestibular rehab program using virtual reality simulations of fishing boat motion. The fisherman returned to work in 3 months with improved safety protocols.