Asime Kurter, Audiologist

Asime Kurter is an audiologist at Acibadem Atakent Hospital in İstanbul, Türkiye, where she works within the Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) unit. Her clinical practice is concerned with the assessment of hearing in children and adults, with a particular focus on pediatric hearing loss, and she has more than 13 years of experience in medicine. She speaks Turkish and English.

Her training took place at two universities in İstanbul. She studied at İstanbul Gelişim University from 2013 to 2015 and again from 2015 to 2017, and completed a further period of study at İstanbul University in 2020. Her professional experience with Acıbadem Healthcare Services dates from 2015. The full record of her education and professional appointments appears in the timeline on this profile.

Clinical focus

Asime Kurter’s areas of expertise are pediatric hearing loss, hearing loss in general, audiometry and BERA (ABR) testing. Audiometry is a hearing test that measures how well a person hears sounds of different pitches and volumes; it is commonly used to establish whether a hearing loss is present and, if so, its type and degree. BERA, also known as auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing, records the electrical activity of the hearing pathway in response to sound. Because it does not depend on the patient actively responding, it is frequently used in infants, young children and other patients who cannot take part in conventional hearing tests.

Her work with pediatric hearing loss involves the audiological evaluation of children whose hearing is in question, whether following newborn screening, on the basis of parental concern or after referral from another physician. The results of these tests are interpreted together with the ENT physicians in the unit and form part of the information used when treatment options are discussed. In some patients with hearing loss, audiological testing is also part of the assessment that precedes decisions about interventions such as a cochlear implant; any decision about such treatment is made by the treating ENT team on the basis of the individual case.

How Asime Kurter works with international patients

Asime Kurter sees patients in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, including earlier hearing test results, MRI or CT reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the hospital visit itself. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing test results, imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and hearing assessment as appropriate, and a discussion of the findings and possible next steps. For patients who are not yet in İstanbul, a video consultation can be arranged as a first step, which may be helpful for reviewing existing records and clarifying which tests would be relevant during an in-person visit.