International Medical Service Center and ENT Medical Team cure hearing of young Japanese patient

At the age of 10, Miss Matsuoka, a Japanese girl, found that her hearing seemed to be relatively poor compared with her classmates. After seeking medical treatment, she found that it was ossicles sclerosis (commonly known as otosclerosis). This type of disease mostly occurs in Caucasians, it is very rare in Asian. Even if seeking medical treatment in Japan, the problem cannot be solved, she just hope that the hearing will not continue to deteriorate. Miss Matsuoka’s hearing deteriorated more noticeably at the age of 20, and this disease is not common in Asia, so Japanese doctors choose a safe way : hearing aids in stead of surgery.

At the age of 20 , Miss Matsuoka felt that she was different from others by wearing the hearing aid. If she does not wear the hearing aid, she would have a hard time hearing and could not answer correctly. Last year(2021), at the age of 23, she came to Taiwan alone for a business trip. She found that her hearing had continued to deteriorate and began to cause trouble in her daily life: she even didn’t know the car was behind her when she was walking on the road. Introduced by a friend, she chose to come to Cheng Hsin General Hospital for medical treatment. Our International Medical Services Center immediately assisted Miss Matsuoka with medical evaluation and reconfirmed the current condition of the patient. There is no medicine for otosclerosis, the only way is to replace the stapes in the ear, which is the size of a grain of rice. The operation is very important for Miss Matsuoka, who came to Taiwan alone at the age of 23. Although her English ability is very good, she does not know how to deal with some professional medical problems, also,during the COVID-19 period, her parents could not come to Taiwan to stay with her, and her working visa was about to expire…..

We understand her concerns, therefore, we arranged “Telhealth-consultation” for her and her family. Director An-Suey Shiao, Department of ENT explained the surgery and treatment to her father. Even though her family was staying in Japan, they still could join patient’s medical treatment decision.

After a week of thinking, Miss Matsuoka made up her mind to undergo surgery alone in Taiwan. In order to buy time for Miss Matsuoka’s, the International Medical Services Center immediately arranged preoperative examinations, completed all preoperative examinations within half a day, and obtained all report results within two days. When the operation was successfully completed, our staff reported to her father immediately. Both her father and grandfather were so happy and said, their baby girl was so strong that she completed the first surgery in her life alone oversea.

The surgery went very well. After removing the filler in her ear in the second week after the operation, Miss Matsuoka immediately felt the sound : Suddenly, she could hear the voice behind her. This change made Miss Matsuoka so surprised. When my hearing had returned to normal, I felt that my decision was right, she said. The problem that could not be solved in Japan for more than 10 years was resolved perfectly in Taiwan. She is thankful for Cheng-Hsin General Hospital-Director An-Suey Shiao’s medical Team(Department of ENT) and International Medical Services Center-Miss Jenny Lin, and wants to share her experience with the patients who suffer from otosclerosis.