Patient Experience
As a 78-year-old with a failing kidney and a deep fear of hospitals, I was terrified when they mentioned an embolization procedure. Dr. Bora didn't just see a chart; he saw me. He spent 45 minutes with my daughter and me, drawing diagrams on a napkin to explain how he would block the problematic vessels feeding my tumor, using a metaphor about 'turning off the taps to a leaking garden.' His calm, almost conversational demeanor during the procedure itself—he asked about my granddaughter's university plans—made the anxiety melt away. At Acibadem Maslak, the technology was impressive, but it was Dr. Bora's human touch that healed my spirit as much as his skill healed my body. My follow-up scan showed remarkable shrinkage, and I feel like I have my life back.
Our 8-year-old son, Leo, had a vascular malformation in his jaw that was growing rapidly. Multiple doctors presented daunting, invasive surgical plans. Dr. Peynircioğlu proposed a radically different approach: a series of targeted sclerotherapy sessions. What stunned us was his method. He had a small toy model of the circulatory system in his office and let Leo 'drive' a catheter through it. For each procedure, he played Leo's favorite space adventure soundtrack. The environment at Acibadem was geared for children, but Dr. Bora's innovation was in his psychological approach. After three nearly painless sessions, the malformation is resolving. He treated our child's courage, not just his condition.
Mine was a textbook emergency—a sudden, catastrophic GI bleed while I was on a business trip in Istanbul. Rushed to Acibadem Maslak in the middle of the night, I was fading in and out. Dr. Bora and his team moved with urgent precision. There was no time for lengthy explanations, but his voice was a steady anchor: 'Mr. Evans, we've found the bleeding artery. We are going to fix it now. You are safe.' The angioembolization was a success. What followed, though, was uniquely him. The next morning, he visited not with a quick glance, but with the angiographic images. He walked me through exactly what had happened inside my body, turning a traumatic event into a comprehensible, managed incident. His post-crisis care was as critical as the life-saving procedure.
My case was considered highly complex and inoperable: a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor with tricky vascular involvement. I had consulted experts internationally. Dr. Peynircioğlu's review was different. He didn't just propose a bland 'chemoembolization'; he designed a hybrid, staged plan combining selective intra-arterial therapy with later thermal ablation, calling it a 'two-phase siege.' His confidence was not arrogant but rooted in a granular understanding of vascular anatomy. During the long, intricate procedure, his focus was legendary. The nursing staff mentioned he was 'in the zone' for over four hours. The result? Unprecedented tumor necrosis with minimal collateral damage. He is a strategist and a master craftsman. This wasn't routine care; it was bespoke medical artistry.