Turan Kanmaz — Koç University Hospital, Istanbul

More about the doctor

Turan Kanmaz is a professor, transplant surgeon and pediatric surgeon who specializes in liver transplantation and surgical diseases of the liver. He works at Koç University Hospital in Istanbul, in the Prof. Dr. Münci Kalayoğlu Organ Transplant Center. According to the hospital, he has been in the profession since 1996, when he completed his pediatric surgery residency.

Kanmaz graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Hacettepe University in 1991 and completed his residency in pediatric surgery at Ankara University in 1996. In 2002–2003 he trained in liver transplantation at the University of Wisconsin (USA) as a clinical observer and research fellow.

From 2006 to 2018 he worked as a transplant surgeon at the Liver Transplant Center of Memorial Şişli Hospital in Istanbul, and he has been at Koç University Hospital since 2018. According to the hospital, his clinical interests are liver transplantation, surgical diseases of the liver, liver cancer and microsurgery.

According to the hospital, the center he works in performs living donor liver transplantation and runs a pediatric liver and kidney transplant program. The donor's part of the liver can be removed laparoscopically, through a few small incisions instead of one large cut.

Liver transplant with Turan Kanmaz in Turkey

Turan Kanmaz performs liver transplants at Koç University Hospital in Istanbul. According to the hospital, beyond transplantation he works in surgical diseases of the liver, operations for liver cancer and microsurgery. He is based at the Prof. Dr. Münci Kalayoğlu Organ Transplant Center, which, according to the hospital, also performs kidney and pancreas transplants.

Living donor liver transplant

According to the hospital, the center performs living donor liver transplantation: the patient receives part of the liver of a healthy adult who has agreed to donate. The donor operation can also be done laparoscopically, through small incisions; this is called laparoscopic donor hepatectomy. Whether this route suits a given patient and donor is decided by the center's team after both have been assessed.

Pediatric surgery and the center's pediatric program

Kanmaz's core specialty is pediatric surgery: he completed his residency in it at Ankara University in 1991–1996. According to the hospital, the center where he works has a pediatric liver and kidney transplant program. Families looking for a liver transplant for a child should ask the center who on the team will lead the child's care and at what stage the pediatric surgeon is involved.

Experience and training

According to the hospital, he has been in the profession since 1996, when he completed his residency. In 2002–2003 he completed a liver transplant fellowship at the University of Wisconsin (USA), then worked at the Memorial Şişli Liver Transplant Center in Istanbul from 2006 to 2018, and has been at Koç University Hospital since 2018. The full timeline is in the "Education and career" section.

Publications

PubMed lists papers he has co-authored with the Koç University Hospital team, all on liver transplantation. They include work on cardiac intervention before liver transplantation (Transplantation Proceedings, 2021), on hepatic artery intimal dissection during living donor liver transplantation and a modified approach to managing it (Transplantation Proceedings, 2023), and on laparoscopic donor hepatectomy (Turkish Journal of Surgery, 2024).

How to prepare for a consultation

A preliminary assessment needs documents: a discharge summary with the diagnosis, recent CT or MRI scans of the liver, recent blood tests and a list of current medications. If a living donor transplant is being considered, say upfront who is willing to donate.

Questions worth asking the center: how many liver transplants the team performs per year, what share of them are from living donors, and how many days the patient and the donor need to stay in Turkey. These figures are not published; only the hospital can give them.

Questions and answers

What does Turan Kanmaz specialize in?

Turan Kanmaz is a transplant surgeon and pediatric surgeon. According to the hospital, his clinical interests are liver transplantation, surgical diseases of the liver, liver cancer and microsurgery.

Where does Turan Kanmaz see patients?

At Koç University Hospital in Istanbul, in the Prof. Dr. Münci Kalayoğlu Organ Transplant Center. He has worked at this hospital since 2018.

Does Turan Kanmaz see children?

Yes. His core specialty is pediatric surgery, in which he completed his residency in 1996. According to the hospital, the center where he works has a pediatric liver and kidney transplant program.

How experienced is Turan Kanmaz in liver transplantation?

According to the hospital, he has been in the profession since 1996. He trained in liver transplantation at the University of Wisconsin (USA) in 2002–2003, worked at the Memorial Şişli Liver Transplant Center from 2006 to 2018, and has been at Koç University Hospital since 2018.

Is living donor liver transplant available with Turan Kanmaz?

According to the hospital, the center where he works performs living donor liver transplants, and the donor's part of the liver can be removed laparoscopically. The team decides whether this route is suitable after assessing both the patient and the donor.

What documents are needed for a consultation?

A discharge summary with the diagnosis, recent CT or MRI scans of the liver, recent blood tests and a list of current medications. If a living donor is being considered, say who it is upfront.