Prof. Dr. Selim Aksöyek

Prof. Dr. Selim Aksöyek is a pediatric surgeon at Acibadem Altunizade Hospital in İstanbul, where he works in the Pediatric Surgery unit. His areas of expertise are pediatric surgery and pediatric urology, and he has more than 45 years in medicine. He is a member of the İstanbul Medical Chamber, the Turkish Pediatric Surgery Association and the Pediatric Urology Association.

Dr. Aksöyek graduated from İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1981 and worked as a general practitioner at SSK Göztepe Hospital from 1983 to 1985. He completed his specialty training in pediatric surgery at İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine in 1991. He was appointed Associate Professor of Pediatric Surgery at the same faculty in 1996 and worked in its Department of Pediatric Surgery from 1995 to 1999. In 1999 he moved to Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, where he became Professor of Pediatric Surgery in 2001 and remained until 2009. From 2009 to 2013 he served as Medical Director and Chief Physician, with the title of Professor, at Medicana International İstanbul Hospital. He joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services in 2015. He has co-authored publications in the pediatric surgical literature on topics including intestinal ischemic preconditioning and bacterial translocation, renal and testicular ischemia-reperfusion injury, hepatoblastoma in children, cystic neuroblastoma, ileal atresia, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, the healing of colonic anastomoses and anorectal malformation.

Clinical focus

Dr. Aksöyek’s clinical work centers on pediatric surgery, the surgical evaluation and care of infants, children and adolescents. Surgical conditions in children differ from those in adults in their causes, presentation and the way the growing body responds to treatment, so assessment takes into account the child’s age, development and overall health before any recommendation is made. Whether an operation is appropriate, and when, is decided individually after the clinical findings and existing investigations have been reviewed.

His second area of expertise is pediatric urology, which addresses conditions of the kidneys, urinary tract and genital organs in children. In this field, as in general pediatric surgery, the approach is to establish the diagnosis, weigh the available options with the family and plan care that is proportionate to the child’s condition. Families are involved in the discussion so that they understand the reasoning behind any proposed treatment and what follow-up may be required.

How Dr. Aksöyek works with international patients

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