Patient Experience
My 82-year-old mother, who has severe dementia and cannot communicate her pain, was brought in after a fall. Dr. Irmak was a revelation. She didn't just scan the hip; she conducted the entire MRI session speaking softly to my mother as if she understood every word, even singing a little. Her report didn't just note a 'non-displaced femoral neck fracture'—it included observations about bone density patterns that suggested a previously undiagnosed metabolic issue our geriatrician later confirmed. She turned a traumatic emergency into a comprehensive diagnostic turning point with breathtaking compassion.
Our 7-year-old son Leo is terrified of medical machines. We needed a detailed abdominal ultrasound for recurrent pain. Dr. Irmak met us not in the dark scan room, but in her office with a stuffed animal. She showed him pictures of sound waves on her computer, let him 'scan' the teddy bear with a mock probe, and called the procedure a 'sound picture adventure.' During the actual scan, she narrated a story about the 'adventures of the liver and kidneys.' She found a subtle intussusception that had been missed twice elsewhere. She didn't just diagnose; she performed magic that erased our child's fear.
As a 45-year-old with a complex medical history of neurofibromatosis, my annual MRIs are a source of deep anxiety. Dr. Subaşı remembered me from two years prior, recalling specific details about a tricky spinal lesion. This time, she noticed a 2-millimeter change in a plexiform neurofibroma near my brachial plexus that she said 'didn't match the lazy growth pattern.' Her insistence on a contrast-enhanced follow-up in 3 months, against standard protocol, revealed early malignant transformation. Her spatial memory and refusal to treat me as a routine case literally gave me a fighting chance with early intervention. Her report read like a detective's notes.
I arrived at Acibadem Atakent for what I thought was a straightforward post-op follow-up CT after gallbladder surgery abroad. Dr. Durur Subaşı, reviewing the images, grew quiet. She asked detailed questions about my recovery that seemed odd. With meticulous care, she pointed out on the screen not the surgical site, but a separate, faint 'whisper' of abnormal tissue perfusion in my right lower lung—completely unrelated to my surgery. It was early-stage pneumonia, asymptomatic but brewing. She contacted my primary physician directly. This wasn't a radiologist reading a scan; it was a physician conducting a full clinical investigation through imagery, seeing the patient beyond the prescribed box.