Prof. Dr. Volkan Özben

Prof. Dr. Volkan Özben is a general surgeon at Acibadem Maslak Hospital in İstanbul, where he works in the General Surgery and Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery units. His practice centers on colorectal surgery, the treatment of hemorrhoids and other anorectal diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, hernia repair, gastric bypass and cancers of the liver and small intestine. He has more than 23 years in medicine.

Dr. Özben graduated from Marmara University Faculty of Medicine in 2003 and completed his specialty training at İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine Department of General Surgery in 2010. He then worked at Sürmene State Hospital Department of General Surgery from 2010 to 2012 before joining Acıbadem Healthcare Services in 2012. His international experience includes a visiting residency in 2003 at St. Thomas Hospital, Department of General Surgery, Department of Vascular Surgery, London, England; a clinical observership in 2006 at High Barnet Hospital, Emergency Department, London, England; and a clinical observership in 2012 at the Cleveland Clinic, Digestive Diseases Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, supported by the Turkish Surgical Association Prof. Dr. Feza Remzi Scholarship. He is a member of the Turkish Surgical Association, the Turkish Medical Association, İstanbul Medical Chamber, the Turkish Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the National Endoscopic Laparoscopic Surgery Association. His published work covers topics including laparoscopic colorectal surgery in high-risk patients, the effect of corticosteroids on colonic anastomosis, laparoscopy in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and radio-guided localization techniques in breast surgery.

Clinical focus

A substantial part of Dr. Özben’s work concerns the colon, rectum and anus. He evaluates and treats patients with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease who may require surgical assessment, and he performs colorectal surgery. His anorectal practice includes the treatment of hemorrhoids, anal fissure and other anorectal diseases.

He also operates on abdominal wall hernias, including inguinal and umbilical hernia, and performs gastric bypass within the Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery unit. His oncological surgical work includes liver cancer and cancer of the small intestine. Whether surgery is appropriate, and which approach is suitable, is decided individually after clinical evaluation and a review of the patient’s imaging and previous treatment.

How Dr. Özben works with international patients

Dr. Özben 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, such as MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges the 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 available options. Video consultations are available for international patients and may be used for an initial review of a case or for a follow-up discussion, with the understanding that some decisions require an in-person examination.