We are preparing and performing special education programs for children by performing appropriate tests in order to assist the mental, language, motor, self-care, social and emotional development of our children with the age of 0-18. We are also guiding you; the mothers and fathers, by leading your problems related to your children.

Developmental Supports Given to Healthy Children

• The growth and development of the baby (social, mental, speech and movement)
• Monitoring of the development of the babies with risk (premature, previously hospitalized in intensive care, etc.)
• Choice of safe toys and games suitable to their development
• Regulation of eating, sleeping patterns and toilet habits in the children
• Regulating the relationship between siblings
• Behavioral disorders (bedwetting, nail biting, thumb sucking, temper, obstinacy and so on.)
• Determining the most appropriate age to start of the child to kindergarten or elementary school

Clinical SupportGiven toChildren with Developmental Problems

• Pervasive developmental disorders (autism)
• Gifted children and children with special talents
• Children with language and speech problems (stuttering, delayed speech and so on.)
• Children with attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder, learning difficulty and mental disability
• Children with hearing, neurological, genetic and metabolic diseases
• To support the development skills of children with health issues or long-term hospitalized children

Tests performed to measure the development

• Bayley (3) Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley Scales of Intelligence Test): Performed to the child at the age of 0-42 months. It measures cognitive, receptive and expressive language, fine and gross motor, social-sensory and adaptive development of the child.
• Denver-2 Developmental Screening Test:Performed to the child at the age 0-6. It screens personal- social, fine motor,languageandgross motorareas of the child.
• Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (AGTA): It is performed to the child at the age 0-6.It measureslanguage, cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, social skills,self-careandgeneral development
• Portage Guide to Early Education Development Scale
• Cattell 2-A Intelligence Test
• Cattell 3-A Intelligence Test
• Benton Visual Retention Test
• Porteus Maze Test
• Gesell Development Figures Test
• Goodenough HarrisDraw a Man Test
• Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception
• Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test
• Metropolitan School Readiness Test
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Matching Test
• Preschool Language Scale (PLS-4)
• Hacettepe Articulation Test (HAT): It is performed to the children, who have problems to make the right tone.

The Liv Hospital Pediatric Chest Diseases department serves in the diagnosis and treatment of lung problems such as cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, recurrent pneumonia, chronic lung disease, and preterm Broncho pulmonary dysplasia, as well as bronchiectasis, long-lasting coughs, recurrent croup (laryngotracheobronchitis), interstitial lung disease, and sleep problems.

After completing a university medical faculty course and a 5-year specialist training program in Pediatric Health and Diseases, our Pediatric Chest Diseases specialists continued further specialist programs in pediatric chest diseases for at least three years, before passing exams to qualify as specialists in Pediatric Pulmonology.

For the accurate diagnosis and treatment of children, it is essential that tests and examinations are carried out by qualified experts.

Radiology is very important in the diagnosis of pediatric chest diseases. Our hospital’s excellence in the field is attributable to having the most advanced technology in radiology equipment and highly experienced specialists to interpret test X-rays and images.

Liv Hospital Pediatric Chest Diseases department conducts the following tests:

• Pulmonary Function Tests
• Sweat test
• Cystic Fibrosis Genetic Analysis
• High-tech radiology unit (CT, MRI, CT angiography, virtual bronchoscopy, etc.)
• Our Nuclear Medicine Department plays a supporting role in the diagnosis of pediatric chest diseases and differential diagnostics.

Respiratory Function Test

Respiratory function tests are conducted on children over the age of 6. These tests are important in the diagnosis of lung diseases.

Sweat Test

The sweat test is carried out to determine the existence of cystic fibrosis. This is especially important in terms of the early diagnosis and treatment of this congenital disease. All tests are conducted at our polyclinic every day.

One of the most significant health issues of today is allergic disease. It is observed that the occurrence of allergic diseases in children is rising every day. Research in the city of Istanbul shows that one out every 6 or 7 children suffers from asthma, one in 10 from allergic rhinitis and one in 20 from eczema; similar figures are recorded throughout the world.

Substances in the environment that cause an allergic reaction in our bodies are called “allergens”. An allergy is defined as an extreme and abnormal response by the immune system to an allergen. Pediatric Allergy Science is the branch of medicine dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of issues arising from allergens in children’s bodies and the development of allergies in children.

A Pediatric Allergy Specialist diagnoses, treats and monitors allergy issues in babies and children up to the age of 18 – as detailed in the list below:

• Asthma
• Allergic Rhinitis
• Wheezy Child (Infant Wheezing)
• Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis)
• Urticaria (Hives)
• Contact dermatitis
• Eye Allergies
• Food Allergies
• Drug Allergies
• Insect Allergies
• Occupational allergies (latex, etc.)
• Anaphylaxis (Allergic Shock)
• Hereditary angioedema

After completing a university medical faculty course and a 5-year specialist training program in Pediatric Health and Diseases, our Pediatric Allergy specialists complete further specialist programs in pediatric allergies for at least three years before passing exams to qualify as specialists. As children are in a continuous state of growth and development, they cannot be treated as young adults.

Many of their physiologic and psychological features are different from those of adults. Allergic problems that are not dealt with in a child’s early development can lead to more severe difficulties in adulthood. It is essential that a child’s allergic problems are monitored and treated by a Pediatric Allergy Specialist.

Correct and accurate diagnosis and treatment of children by allergy specialists is of the highest importance. Correct diagnosis cannot be achieved just with allergy tests, blood tests, or respiratory function tests.

An allergy specialist who has received specialist training in the field needs to decide which allergy tests to apply and which techniques to use based on the symptoms and the findings of their examination.

As the Liv Hospital Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Department, we are rapidly progressing to become the diagnostic and treatment center for allergic diseases in Turkey. We are currently able to diagnose and treat all allergic diseases, using all the possibilities of advanced high-tech technology.

Our fundamental objective is to diagnose patients with the minimum of testing and then to treat them with a minimum of medication and minimum harm to their bodies. With its remarkably strong infrastructure, our hospital is set to become a leading allergy and asthma center fully equipped to meet an ever increasing demand from international patients.

Tests carried out at the Liv Hospital Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Department:

• Allergy skin tests
• Patch Test
• Blood, allergies (food and inhalant) tests
• Pulmonary Function Tests
• Immunotherapy (allergen vaccine therapy, sublingual vaccine in the form of drops and subcutaneous injection)
• Training in asthma and inhalation drugs and devices
• Sweat test
• Nuclear Medicine (GER scintigraphy, etc.)
• Radiology (CT, CT angiography, MRI, etc.)

Allergy Skin Tests

Allergic skin prick tests to identify allergens that cause diseases are carried out by Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Specialist Associate Professor Ahmet Akçay. These tests are done in order to detect the cause of the allergy. Skin tests can be performed at any age, including newborn babies.

Patch tests (patch tests)

These tests are designed to diagnose allergies that develop after contact and food allergies that develop differently from Type 1 allergic reactions. These tests are carried out by Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Specialist Associate Professor Ahmet Akçay.

Blood Allergy (food and inhalant) Tests

Measurement of allergen-specific IgE in the blood is carried out at our hospital using the most sensitive, advanced and reliable methods.

Asthma control test

Nitric oxide levels in the child’s breath needs to be measured in order to determine a diagnosis of asthma. In order to make the conduct of this test easier for children, it is accompanied with computer animation programs.

Pulmonary Function Tests

Pulmonary function tests are performed in children over the age of 6. This test is very important in the diagnosis of asthma and other lung diseases. In addition, pulmonary function tests are used in the follow-up of patients with a diagnosis of asthma, in order to monitor the patient’s response to medication therapy and to establish whether or not the disease is under control.

Immunotherapy (Allergen Vaccine Therapy)

Allergen Immunotherapy strengthens the body’s resistance to allergen and aids recovery related asthma and allergic rhinitis. Immunotherapy is administered at our hospital both subcutaneously and sublingually.

Sweat Test

The sweat test is carried out to determine the existence of cystic fibrosis. This is especially important in terms of the early diagnosis and treatment of this congenital disease. All tests are conducted at our polyclinic every day.

Nuclear Medicine (GER scintigraphy, etc.)

Treatment-resistant cases may require reflux scintigraphy. Reflux scintigraphy is carried out at our hospital.

Radiology (CT, CT angiography, MRI, etc.)

The radiology department is crucial in differential diagnosis of asthma and allergic diseases. High-tech equipment combined with highly experienced specialists to interpret the images that are obtained from the tests and scans provide the maximum benefit to patients.

Patient Instruction

Associate Professor Ahmet Akçay gives video-assisted patients instruction in medication and the correct use of inhalation devices used to treat asthma.

Pediatric heart diseases are divided into two groups – hereditary and acquired. Rhythm disorders are evident in both these groups. 8 out of every 1,000 babies suffer from some kind of hereditary heart condition. The most common acquired heart diseases is acute rheumatic fever.

ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS AT THE PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY DEPARTMENT:

• Heart electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Heart X-ray (Telecardiography)
• Cardiac ultrasonography (Color Doppler echocardiography)
• Cardiac catheterization and angiography
• 24-hour ECG monitoring rhythm disorders (Holter ECG),
• Advanced diagnostic methods are used, including electrophysiological studies

Our Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Department diagnoses and treats diseases of the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine and large intestine), diseases of the Liver and biliary tract,as well as nutrition issues in healthy children and children with various chronic diseases who require special nutritional support.

Symptoms of concern to the field of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition:

• Chronic / recurrent abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea, bloody diarrhea
• Weight gain, abdominal distension
• Constipation
• Digestive tract bleeding (black-colored stool, vomit that resembles ground coffee)
• Unexplained growth retardation
• Pathology and treatment-resistant anemia
• Fatty Liver disease (obesity)
• Jaundice
• Elevated levels in Liver tests
• Ingestion of foreign material / caustic substance ingestion

Diseases of concern to the field of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Corrosive esophagitis
• Gastritis (acute and chronic)
• Germ-related Helicobacter pylori gastritis
• Ulcer, dyspepsia (indigestion)
• Chronic diarrhea and stunted growth
• Celiac (Coeliac) disease
• Constipation
• Bloody stool, growth retardation and colitis (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease)
• Polyps
• Hepatitis and jaundice (hepatitis B, C, D & E)
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Wilson’s disease
• Biliary tract and gall bladder disease
• Pancreatic Diseases
• Food allergies (including allergies to cow’s milk)
• Loss of appetite, obesity
• Nutritional support (disease-specific nutrition)

Diagnostic and treatment procedures carried out by the Pediatric Gastroenterology Department:

1. Diagnostic Endoscopy

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
• Sigmoidoscopy
• Colonoscopy

2. Therapeutic / treatment endoscopic procedures

• Varicose endoscopic band ligation
• Polypectomy
• Dilation of esophageal stenosis
• Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy

3. Liver biopsy

4. 24-hour pH monitoring

5. 13C urea breathing test

All surgical interventions on children are carried out by pediatric surgeons, doctors and anesthesiologists who are specially trained in treating babies and children. Pediatric anesthesiologists contribute to the pre-op preparation of the surgical team (through the necessary pre-op tests and examinations), the pre-op application of anxiety-lessening medications, and post-op pain control and relief.

Liv Hospital Pediatric Surgery Clinic is devoted to the polyclinic monitoring and treatment of surgical issues relating to the entire digestive tract, urinary tract, and the chest cavity except the heart, in children from birth to the age of 16.

Surgical procedures are carried out using minimally invasive methods such as laparoscopy, thoracoscopy and endoscopy). These techniques also leave the smallest possible surgical scar. Laparoscopic surgery is preferred for gall bladder, undescended testes, appendicitis, and Hirschsprung cases; while esophagoscopic / bronchoscopic methods are used in kidney and bladder disease, and gastrointestinal foreign bodies and diseases in the cystoscopic respiratory tract.

The greatest advantages of keyhole surgery techniques is that scarring is reduced almost to nothing, infection risk is minimized, and your child is able to return to his or her normal social and school life much earlier than with traditional methods of closed surgery.