Fatma Tanrıkulu (20), who lives in Yalova, underwent heart surgery at the age of 6. After this operation, she had hoarseness paralysis. Since her left vocal cords did not work, she had to speak with a hoarse voice for 14 years. Her family went from hospital to hospital for the young girl whose life became a nightmare especially at school and in her social life.
‘I WAS GETTING ALONG BY WRITING’
The family finally contacted ENT Head and Neck Surgery Specialist Dr. Necati Enver from Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul. The family contacted Dr. Necati Enver. Dr. Enver and his team performed the “nerve transfer from the neck to the larynx”, which was performed for the second time in Turkey and made medical history. After the successful operation, Fatma will regain her voice in time as in the old days. Stating that speaking in a hoarse voice caused great discomfort during her student years, Fatma Tanrıkulu said, “I could not express myself to anyone. I often wrote to my teachers, friends and family to tell them my problems. I have to be careful to avoid complications after the operation. My teacher said that my voice will improve over time. Like everyone else, I want to speak loudly, shout and even sing. I love Turkish folk music very much. I was singing the folk songs of my favorite artists such as Aşık Veysel, Neşet Ertaş, Adile Kurt Karatepe, Ender Balkır in a low voice, mumbling. This nightmare of mine will now be over.”
‘TREATMENT IS NOW POSSIBLE’
Giving information about the operation to SABAH, ENT Neck Surgery Specialist. Dr. Enver stated the following: “This surgery is performed in a few countries around the world. It is not a very common surgery in Turkey. Important steps and breakthroughs have been made in our country in the field of medicine. It is now possible to perform these operations in Turkey. It is a promising situation for surgery. There are hundreds of patients like Fatma who have this disease in Turkey. There was also a possibility that the drinks Fatma drank could get into her lungs. A nerve was moved to our patient’s larynx and this nerve was successfully sewn to the nerve supplying the patient’s larynx. In other words, one of the nerves in the neck of our patient was cut and sewn to the nerve of the larynx with microsurgery. Vocal cord paralysis is an important health problem. In general, vocal cord paralysis is encountered after goiter surgeries. It is also frequently seen in children after heart surgeries. The vocal nerve was damaged because the vocal nerve on the left passes by the heart.”