HeadTremor.comby Neuromodulation in Turkey
AYProf. Atilla YILMAZ, MD, stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon

Stereotactic & functional neurosurgeon · Istanbul

Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD

Head of the Movement Disorders & Neuromodulation Center, Ataşehir Medicana International Hospital · Chair of Neurosurgery, Istanbul Health and Technology University · President of the Middle-Eastern Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (MSSFN)

800+DBS surgeries
60+patients’ countries
40+surgeons trained, from 30 countries
3DBS manufacturers appoint him as proctor

Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD is a stereotactic and functional neurosurgeon in Istanbul whose practice is devoted to deep brain stimulation (DBS). He has performed 1,200+ neuromodulation procedures, including 800+ DBS surgeries, for patients from 60+ countries. He has 26 years of experience in medicine and more than 15 years specialized in neuromodulation and DBS. For head tremor he uses a double-target technique that stimulates two parts of the tremor circuit, the Vim and the PSA, along one electrode path. He is the first author of the published series on this technique, which reported a mean tremor reduction of 89% [1]. He makes every candidacy decision and performs every operation himself.

Why patients with head tremor come to him

He published the technique

His 2024 paper in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, written with Prof. Patric Blomstedt of Umeå University, Sweden, describes 22 patients with rare tremor syndromes treated with bilateral Vim+PSA stimulation. To the authors’ knowledge it is the largest published series of this double-target approach in rare tremor syndromes. 6 of 7 patients with isolated head tremor reached a tremor score of 0 [1].

He operates on every patient himself

Prof. YILMAZ reviews each patient’s videos and reports, decides personally whether surgery is appropriate, places the electrodes, tests them while the patient is awake and closes the wounds himself. He is supported by a 25-member team.

Results are followed for years

Our longest-followed head tremor patient still has a tremor score of 0 six and a half years after double-target DBS; the score was 4 before surgery (our case series; results vary). Programming continues by secure video call after patients return home.

He develops the tools of the operation

He is a co-inventor of a registered utility model (TR 2025 000875 Y) for a fluid-tight burr hole closure device. Its stated purpose is to prevent cerebrospinal fluid from leaking, and the brain from shifting, after the first side is opened, so that targeting on the second side stays precise. It also holds the electrode in place.

The team behind every operation

Prof. YILMAZ leads a 25-member DBS team at Neuromodulation in Turkey. He performs every operation himself; the team looks after each patient from the first message to remote programming years later.

The Neuromodulation in Turkey team with Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD, in Istanbul
The Neuromodulation in Turkey team with Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD (centre): 25 people who look after every patient — neurosurgeons, neurologists, nurses, therapists, interpreters and international patient coordinators.

Education and surgical training

  1. 1992–2000
    Doctor of Medicine — Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine
  2. 2007–2013
    Neurosurgery residency — Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Türkiye
  3. 2016 & 2017
    Functional neurosurgery observerships — University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, with Prof. Michael S. Okun and Prof. Kelly D. Foote
  4. 2019
    Advanced DBS training — Umeå University Hospital and Center of Movement Disorders, Sweden, a center known for its work on the posterior subthalamic area (PSA)
  5. Today
    Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery at Istanbul Health and Technology University (an academic and teaching role). Head of the Movement Disorders & Neuromodulation Center at Ataşehir Medicana International Hospital, where he performs all his surgery.

Leadership in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery

Prof. YILMAZ holds leading roles in the international societies that set standards for DBS surgery:

Appointed by the DBS manufacturers to train other surgeons

Prof. YILMAZ holds official proctorship agreements with Medtronic, Abbott and Boston Scientific — the world’s three leading manufacturers of DBS systems appoint him to train other neurosurgeons on their technology. He has trained Boston Scientific’s growth and emerging market distributors at the company’s training and education center, led its DBS launch in South Africa in 2019, and served as faculty on Medtronic’s neuromodulation cadaver course in Istanbul in 2024. These are teaching roles; they are not an endorsement of our center, our results or our prices by any manufacturer.

Teaching surgeons around the world

40+neurosurgical fellows and observers trained, from 30 countries
164documented case-side surgical training sessions
6countries where he performed the first-ever DBS surgery

He performed the first DBS operations in Bosnia, Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, helping local teams start their own programs. Surgeons and neurologists from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Libya, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Mongolia, Algeria, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India, Nigeria and many other countries have trained with him in Istanbul.

Research and publications

43international peer-reviewed articles
424citations
12H-index (Google Scholar)
40+international oral presentations

Figures from his curriculum vitae, 2026; current numbers are on Google Scholar.

He is an invited reviewer for the leading journals of the field — Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface and World Neurosurgery — and Associate Editor of Sleep Medicine and Disorders: International Journal. He is co-editor of a Turkish textbook on neuromodulation in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and editor of the 2024 bulletin of the Turkish Neurosurgical Society’s stereotactic and functional neurosurgery group.

Published evidence from our center

Yilmaz A, Eray HA, Cakir M, Ceylan M, Blomstedt P. Deep Brain Stimulation with Double Targeting of the VIM and PSA for the Treatment of Rare Tremor Syndromes. Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery 2024;102:224–239.

  • 22 patients treated between 2019 and 2023 with bilateral Vim+PSA DBS: 7 isolated head tremor, 4 dystonic tremor, 8 Holmes tremor, 2 voice tremor and 1 tremor caused by liver disease.
  • Mean tremor score fell from 3.70 to 0.45 at 12 months; mean tremor reduction 89% (range 50–100%).
  • 6 of 7 patients with isolated head tremor reached a tremor score of 0.
  • Ratings were made blindly, with stimulation on and off, by two movement disorder specialists.
  • To the authors’ knowledge, the largest published case series of double-target Vim+PSA DBS in rare tremor syndromes [1].

Read the article on PubMed (PMID 38934181) · How the double-target technique works

Awards

What to expect when you contact him

  1. You send a short video of the tremor and your reports by WhatsApp or info@neuromodulationinturkey.com. Prof. YILMAZ reviews them personally.
  2. If needed, he speaks with you by video call. He consults in English, Arabic and Turkish; the team also supports patients in Russian, French, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Serbian.
  3. He tells you whether DBS is likely to help and why — and when it is not the right option.
  4. If you go ahead, he performs the operation and switches the stimulator on the next day. See what the operation involves.

Profiles

Frequently asked questions

Does Prof. YILMAZ perform the surgery himself?
Yes. He makes every candidacy decision and performs every operation personally, and closes the wounds himself.
Has Prof. YILMAZ published research on head tremor?
Yes. He is the first author of a 2024 paper in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery on double-target Vim+PSA DBS in 22 patients with rare tremor syndromes, including 7 with isolated head tremor, 6 of whom reached a tremor score of 0 [1].
Where does Prof. YILMAZ operate?
At Ataşehir Medicana International Hospital in Istanbul, where he heads the Movement Disorders & Neuromodulation Center.
Which languages does Prof. YILMAZ speak?
He consults in English, Arabic and Turkish. The international team supports patients in several other languages, and an interpreter stays with you during surgery.
Can I talk to Prof. YILMAZ before I travel?
Yes. After reviewing your videos and reports, he can speak with you by video call before any decision is made.
Does Prof. YILMAZ train other neurosurgeons?
Yes. He has trained 40+ fellows and observers from 30 countries, and Medtronic, Abbott and Boston Scientific appoint him as a proctor to train surgeons on their DBS systems.

Sources

  1. Yilmaz A, Eray HA, Cakir M, Ceylan M, Blomstedt P. Deep Brain Stimulation with Double Targeting of the VIM and PSA for the Treatment of Rare Tremor Syndromes. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 2024;102:224–239. DOI 10.1159/000539162. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38934181/

Send us your videos and reports for a free case review

Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD and his team review head tremor cases from 60+ countries. Share a short video of the tremor and any medical reports; you will receive an assessment of whether DBS is likely to help.

WhatsApp +90 533 582 39 91 info@neuromodulationinturkey.com

HeadTremor.com is the head tremor information site of Neuromodulation in Turkey, founded and led by Prof. Atilla YILMAZ, MD.

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