Assoc. Prof. Emine Acar Akkaya, MD

Assoc. Prof. Emine Acar Akkaya, MD is a Nuclear Medicine specialist at Acibadem Kent Hospital (Izmir) in İzmir, where she works within the Nuclear Medicine unit. She has more than 14 years of experience in medicine. Her clinical work covers diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging, including PET imaging, SPECT imaging, scintigraphy, brain scintigraphy and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, as well as radioiodine treatment.

Dr. Akkaya graduated from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine in 2012 and worked as a general practitioner at Kars Susuz Community Health Center from 2012 to 2013. From 2013 to 2017 she was a research assistant at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, completing her Nuclear Medicine specialty training in 2017. In 2014 she spent time as an observer at the Theranostics Center for Molecular Imaging (PET/CT) and Molecular Therapy, Zentralklinik in Bad Berka, Germany. She subsequently held specialist physician positions at Dokuz Eylül University Department of Nuclear Medicine (2017), Şırnak State Hospital Department of Nuclear Medicine (2017–2018), İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital Department of Nuclear Medicine (2018–2020) and Kent Hospital Department of Nuclear Medicine (from 2020). In 2023 she completed a program in Translational Oncology at Dokuz Eylül University Oncology Institute and joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services. She is a member of the Turkish Medical Association, the İzmir Medical Chamber, the European Nuclear Medicine Association and the Turkish Nuclear Medicine Association.

Clinical focus

Dr. Akkaya’s practice centers on nuclear medicine imaging methods that use small amounts of radioactive tracers to show how organs and tissues are functioning. PET imaging and SPECT imaging are used to assess metabolic and functional activity in the body and are often reviewed alongside other imaging such as CT or MRI. Scintigraphy encompasses a range of planar nuclear medicine studies; within this group, brain scintigraphy evaluates aspects of brain perfusion and function, while myocardial perfusion scintigraphy assesses blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and under stress.

In addition to diagnostic imaging, Dr. Akkaya provides radioiodine treatment, a form of nuclear medicine therapy in which radioactive iodine is administered for certain thyroid conditions. Whether a particular imaging study or treatment is appropriate depends on the individual patient’s clinical situation, prior test results and the question being asked by the referring physician, and this is discussed with the patient before any procedure is planned.

How Dr. Akkaya works with international patients

Dr. Akkaya consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. The Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, arranges appointments and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the possible imaging or treatment pathways. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their situation before traveling.