Prof. Kerim Sarıyılmaz, MD

Prof. Kerim Sarıyılmaz, MD is a specialist in orthopedic surgery and traumatology at Acibadem Atasehir Hospital in İstanbul, where he practices within the Orthopedics & Joint Center. His subspecialty areas are spine health and pediatric orthopedics, and he has more than 20 years in medicine. His clinical work centers on spinal diseases and spinal surgery, the treatment of spinal deformities and spinal fractures, pediatric orthopedic conditions and limb lengthening.

Dr. Sarıyılmaz graduated from İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 2006 and completed his residency in Orthopedics and Traumatology at the same faculty in 2012. In 2011 he undertook an observership at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, Texas, USA, which focused on observations and research related to pediatric orthopedics and the pediatric spine. Between 2012 and 2014 he completed his compulsory service at the Mardin State Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic, and he has worked within Acıbadem Healthcare Services since 2013. He is a member of the Turkish Orthopedics and Traumatology Education Council, AOSpine, the Turkish Orthopedics and Traumatology Association and the Turkish Sports Injuries Arthroscopy and Knee Surgery Association. He has co-authored peer-reviewed publications on topics including pediatric hip ultrasonography, interbody fusion in degenerative spine disease, short segment pedicle screw fixation for unstable thoracolumbar fractures and the biomechanics of periprosthetic femoral fractures.

Clinical focus

A large part of Dr. Sarıyılmaz’s practice concerns the spine. He evaluates and treats spinal diseases and performs spinal surgery, including the treatment of spinal deformities such as kyphosis and scoliosis. He also manages spinal fractures; in suitable patients this may involve minimally invasive procedures such as kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty. Whether a conservative or a surgical approach is appropriate depends on the individual findings, imaging and the patient’s overall condition, and this is discussed on a case-by-case basis.

His second focus is pediatric orthopedics, an area he pursued further during his observership in Dallas. This includes orthopedic conditions of childhood and adolescence, including deformities of the pediatric spine. He also treats patients who are candidates for limb lengthening, a procedure that requires careful planning, staged treatment and follow-up over an extended period.

How Dr. Sarıyılmaz works with international patients

Dr. Sarıyılmaz consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the Acibadem international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, for example MRI, CT and X-ray reports, laboratory results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and 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 options. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their case before deciding whether to travel.