Zehra Karataş, MD

Zehra Karataş, MD is a Nuclear Medicine specialist at Acibadem Adana Hospital in Adana, where she works within the Nuclear Medicine unit. Her practice centers on diagnostic nuclear imaging, including SPECT imaging, PET imaging and scintigraphy, as well as radioiodine therapy. She has more than 21 years of experience in medicine.

Dr. Karataş graduated from Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine in 2005 and completed her specialty training in Nuclear Medicine at Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine in 2009. She joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services in 2026. She speaks Turkish and English.

Clinical focus

The clinical work of Dr. Karataş covers the main areas of diagnostic nuclear medicine. She performs and interprets SPECT imaging and PET imaging, two functional imaging methods that use small amounts of radiopharmaceuticals to show how organs and tissues are working rather than only how they look. She also carries out scintigraphy, a group of nuclear imaging studies used to evaluate the function of specific organs. Within this group, her areas of expertise include myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, which is used to assess blood flow to the heart muscle, and brain scintigraphy, which is used to evaluate aspects of brain function.

In addition to diagnostic imaging, Dr. Karataş provides radioiodine therapy, a nuclear medicine treatment that uses radioactive iodine. Whether a nuclear medicine study or treatment is appropriate depends on the individual clinical situation, the referring physician’s question and the findings of other examinations. Nuclear medicine results are therefore usually reviewed together with the patient’s history, laboratory results and other imaging, and are discussed with the treating team so that the findings can be placed in the context of the overall care plan.

How Dr. Karataş works with international patients

Dr. Karataş 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 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 options, including whether a nuclear medicine study or radioiodine treatment may be relevant and what it would involve. Video consultation is available for international patients, which may be used to review existing reports and discuss possible next steps before any decision to travel is made. Any imaging or treatment is planned on an individual basis and depends on the clinical findings and the patient’s overall condition.