Sevtap Kutlay, Audiologist

Sevtap Kutlay is an audiologist at Acibadem International Hospital in İstanbul, where she works within the Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) unit. Her work centers on the assessment of hearing in children and adults, including audiometry and BERA (ABR) testing, together with the evaluation of speech articulation disorders, dyslexia and tongue-tie. She has more than 49 years of experience in the field.

Sevtap Kutlay studied at ODTÜ Sosyal Bilimler from 1977 to 1982 and completed her audiology training at Hacettepe University Health Sciences Institute in 1986. Her early clinical career took her to Ankara Numune Hospital (1984–1987), Riyadh Central Hospital (1987–1988) and Haydarpaşa Numune Hospital (1988–1989). Between 1988 and 1991 she worked at Sonamed – Hearing, Balance and Speech Disorders Center, and in 1990 she was part of the Balance and Speech Disorders Unit at Private Acıbadem International Hospital. In 2007 she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services. She is a member of the Turkish Audiology and Speech Disorders Association. Her published work includes three contributions to the Proceedings of the 1985 International Symposium on Hard of Hearing, held in Istanbul, on audiological assessment in a residential deaf school, the effects of hearing aid adaptation on the education of hearing-impaired children, and the educational approach to children with progressive sensory-neural hearing loss.

Clinical focus

Sevtap Kutlay’s clinical interests are concentrated on hearing loss, with particular attention to hearing loss in children. Her diagnostic work includes audiometry, which measures how a person responds to sounds at different frequencies and intensities, and BERA (ABR) testing, an electrophysiological method that records the auditory pathway’s response to sound and can be used when behavioral testing is not possible or needs to be confirmed. These assessments are used to characterize the type and degree of hearing loss and to support decisions about further management by the ENT team. Related information on this site covers the cochlear implant.

Beyond hearing, her expertise extends to speech and language-related concerns. She evaluates speech articulation disorders, in which the production of specific speech sounds is affected, and dyslexia, a learning difficulty that primarily affects reading. She also assesses tongue-tie, a condition in which a short or tight band of tissue restricts the movement of the tongue and may influence speech. In each case, the assessment is tailored to the age of the patient and the nature of the concern.

How Sevtap Kutlay works with international patients

Sevtap Kutlay speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, such as earlier hearing test results, MRI or CT reports, laboratory findings, 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 test results and previous treatments, a clinical examination and a discussion of the available options. Video consultation is available for international patients who wish to discuss their situation before traveling.