He has made significant contributions to the treatment of lymphedema and limb loss, popularly known as elephantiasis. Karaaltın successfully transplanted two toes from a foot to replace two severed fingers of a mechanical engineer.
He has made significant contributions to the treatment of lymphedema and limb loss, popularly known as elephantiasis. Karaaltın successfully transplanted two toes from a foot to replace two severed fingers of a mechanical engineer.
Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgeon Prof. Dr. Mehmet Veli Karaaltın, despite his young age, has written his name in the medical literature with 26 surgeries for the treatment of lymphedema, popularly known as ‘elephant disease’. Karaaltın, who compiled the stories of his surgeries and patients in a book, stated that he has a significant number of patients not only in Turkey but also abroad. Karaaltın said, “A total of 26 patients underwent lymph node transplant surgery. It is the only case series in Turkey. In two of these patients, genital lymphedema treatment was applied for the first time in the world. In four patients, three-level lymph node transplantation was performed for the first time in the world. In a single session, lymph node transfer was performed in three regions: ankle, behind the knee and groin.”
THEY SAID THERE IS NO CURE FOR ELEPHANTIASIS
According to a report by Fatmanur Boylu in Gazete Habertürk, Yaşar Süleyman, a Syrian national, contracted a disease known as elephantiasis when he was four years old. Suleiman fled his country due to the attacks of the terrorist organization ISIS and took refuge in Turkey. Explaining that his legs grew three times the size of a normal person’s legs, Suleiman said, “They told me that there was no cure for my disease. When I came to Turkey, not only my living conditions changed, but Dr. Karaaltın said he could perform my surgery and he did. He did not charge me a single penny because I had no money.”
Melih Serter, a mechanical engineer from Manisa who invented eight different machines, went to his workshop to check a machine he sold. During the inspection, he lost the thumb and pinky finger of his right hand to the machine. “Both of my severed fingers were completely shattered. It was impossible to put them back on. Dr. Karaaltin successfully transplanted my toes to my hand. I can use my hands as before. I have increased the number of my inventions from eight to fourteen,” Serter explained.
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