Op. MD. Yalcin Hamdioglu

A 78-year-old retired opera singer, living alone on a modest pension, arrived with complete anosmia she attributed to aging. Dr. Hamdioglu identified a rare olfactory neuroblastoma through advanced endoscopic examination. He performed a minimally invasive endoscopic resection preserving her nasal architecture. The recovery was prolonged over 6 months with gradual olfactory return, but she regained sufficient smell to safely live independently, detecting gas leaks and spoiled food.

A 32-year-old Syrian refugee and former carpenter, now working in a textile factory, presented with worsening hearing loss and tinnitus. Examination revealed not occupational noise damage but a cholesteatoma eroding into the horizontal semicircular canal. Dr. Hamdioglu performed a combined-approach tympanoplasty with canal wall reconstruction. The patient's limited Turkish and financial constraints required a creative postoperative plan involving visual instruction sheets and community health worker follow-ups, resulting in successful healing and partial hearing restoration.

A 5-year-old child from an affluent family with a complex medical history including cystic fibrosis presented with recurrent sinus infections resistant to all antibiotics. Dr. Hamdioglu pioneered a tailored endoscopic sinus surgery with intraoperative mucosal gene therapy application targeting the CFTR protein defect. The procedure required coordination with pediatric pulmonologists and resulted in a dramatic 18-month infection-free period, the longest in the child's life.

A 41-year-old long-haul truck driver with prediabetes and severe sleep apnea refused CPAP. Dr. Hamdioglu identified significant hypopharyngeal collapse rather than typical velopharyngeal obstruction. He performed a novel hyoid suspension with partial midline glossectomy via transoral robotic surgery. The patient experienced a difficult 3-week recovery with significant swallowing discomfort but achieved complete resolution of apnea events, transforming his energy levels and diabetes management.

A 17-year-old competitive freediver from a coastal village presented with recurrent barotrauma and persistent unilateral ear fullness after deep dives. Dr. Hamdioglu discovered a previously undiagnosed congenital patulous Eustachian tube that only manifested under extreme pressure changes. Instead of standard surgery, he designed a custom rehabilitation protocol combining controlled Valsalva maneuvers with specialized nasal steroid sprays, allowing the athlete to return to competition in 8 weeks without procedural intervention.