Yonsei Institute
for Global Health

1. Severance Hospital Helps Cambodian Child Hear Through Cochlear Implant Surgery

Global Severance, Global Charity Program Supports Treatment for 6-Year-Old Unable to Access Care in Cambodia

Severance Hospital has helped give a 6-year-old Cambodian boy the chance to hear after providing cochlear implant surgery through its Global Severance, Global Charity program.

Heng Mongkol, who was born with congenital hearing loss, had been unable to receive the treatment he needed in Cambodia due to limited access to specialized medical care and financial difficulties.

Congenital hearing loss is one of the most common sensory disorders, affecting approximately one to three in every 1,000 newborns. Early detection and auditory rehabilitation can play an important role in language development and social skills. Without appropriate treatment, however, hearing loss can significantly affect a child's ability to communicate and learn.

For Mongkol, receiving treatment had been particularly difficult because of limited access to specialized care in his home country. A missionary working in Cambodia learned of his condition and contacted Severance Hospital to explore possible treatment options.

After reviewing Mongkol's medical records, Professor Sung Joon Kim of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Yonsei University College of Medicine determined that cochlear implant surgery could potentially restore his ability to perceive sound.

Severance Hospital subsequently selected Mongkol for its Global Severance, Global Charity program, which supported his surgery and treatment. Established in 2011, the program provides medical care to patients from medically underserved countries by inviting them to Korea and covering the full cost of their surgical treatment.

Mongkol arrived in Korea on the 15th of last month and was admitted to Severance Hospital, where he underwent a comprehensive evaluation of his hearing and inner-ear anatomy.

The medical team conducted pure-tone audiometry and auditory brainstem response testing to assess the severity of his hearing loss and the function of his auditory pathways. Imaging studies were also performed to evaluate key structures required for cochlear implantation, including the cochlea and auditory nerve.

After confirming that surgery was possible, the medical team performed bilateral cochlear implantation on the 19th of last month.

Cochlear implants are designed for patients with severe hearing loss who receive little or no benefit from conventional hearing aids. Rather than simply amplifying sound, the device bypasses damaged portions of the inner ear and uses electrical signals to stimulate the auditory nerve, allowing the brain to perceive sound.

Mongkol recovered well and was discharged from the hospital on the 26th of last month. On the 10th, after doctors examined the surgical site, he underwent a process known as mapping, in which the cochlear implant was activated and the level of electrical stimulation was individually adjusted based on his responses.

His care will continue even after he returns home. Severance Hospital plans to work with KT through the KT Dream Class program to support continued cochlear implant mapping and speech therapy, helping Mongkol develop his language, communication and social skills as he adapts to hearing.