“I want to run!” Guro Hospital at Korea University Gives Hope to a 12-Year-Old Mongolian Girl. Due to a childhood accident, her growth plate was damaged, and her left leg was 9cm shorter. Professor Song Hae-ryong's team will balance both legs with Ilizarov surgery. Sergeling (12), who came to Korea from Mongolia last month, has been living without any major problems since she fell down the stairs at the age of 4. However, around the age of 7, she realized that her left leg was shorter than her right leg. As Sergeling grew, the difference in length between the two legs became more severe, and she couldn't even walk without specially made shoes. Her family searched everywhere for a prominent doctor to treat Sergeling, including Russia and China, but they couldn't find a suitable doctor. Then, after inquiries, they found Professor Song Hae-ryong of the Department of Orthopedics at Korea University Guro Hospital. Professor Song, who has a lot of experience and know-how, treating about 200 patients every year with Ilizarov surgery (also known as bone lengthening), led Sergeling's family to Korea. Ilizarov surgery began in 1954 when a Russian doctor named Gavril Abramovich Ilizarov performed bone lengthening using a circular external fixator. It is used when a person is very short, has a short arm or leg, or has bone and soft tissue defects or limb deformities due to trauma or tumors. After cutting the bone, it is lengthened by about 1mm per day, and new bone is naturally created between the cut bones by gradually lengthening it. The patient's individual growth rate must be taken into account, and if the lengthening is done too quickly or if more than 30% of the person's bone length is lengthened at once, the bones in the lengthened area may not grow sufficiently, increasing the risk of future fractures. Therefore, treatment and management must be received by a specialist for a long period of time. As a result of a detailed examination after entering the country last month, Sergeling's left kneecap (patella) was dislocated, and her left leg was 9cm shorter than her right leg. Professor Song first performed patella reconstruction surgery, and on June 20, he installed an external fixator on Sergeling's femur, and on the 4th, he installed an external fixator on her calf. Professor Song plans to observe Sergeling's growth rate for about 6 months and find a balance between her legs. Sergeling's mother, Kanggojeul, said, "It broke my heart to see my daughter struggling and not being able to hang out with her friends, but thanks to Professor Song Hae-ryong, my whole family has hope." "I hope my child's left leg will grow strong and she will be able to walk like other children." Sergeling, who likes the Korean five-member male group SS501, also dreams of becoming a singer. When asked what she wants to do first when she finishes treatment and returns to Mongolia, she is a bright 12-year-old girl who shouts "Running!" without hesitation. Everyone in the family and medical staff hopes that Sergeling will overcome the long and difficult treatment in a foreign country, return to her home country, and run vigorously like any other child.

Last month, Sergeling (12/Mongolia), whose left leg was shorter than her right leg, has found us at Korea University Medical Center (KUMC), Guro Hospital. She had been noticing the increasing difference between the lengths of right and left legs. She went to Russia and China to look for a suitable doctor who can treat her, but wasn’t able to find a suitable doctor for her.

They were able to find Professor Song at the Department of Orthopedics of KUMC after inquiries. In the end, the trust on Professor Song, who had the experience and the know-how of treating more than 200 patients every year with the lengthening technique called Ilizarov surgery, led Sergeling’s family to Korea.

The Ilizarov surgery was started by a Soviet physician Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov in 1954, invented the cylinder-shaped Ilizarov apparatus for lengthening limb bones. It is also used for limb deformity correction or for lengthening a unilaterally short limb.

After the bone is osteomized, the gap between the bones is increased by 1mm a day, and the gap is filled in with new bone materials as time passes by. The patient’s individual healing rate should be taken into consideration during recovery. Because there is a high risk of fracture if the patient lengthens more than 30% or his/her original bone length or the patient tries to lengthen a big amount in a very short period of time, the patient needs to be treated and examined by the specialist for a long time.

According to the close examination done last year, her left knee bone (patella) was dislocated and the left leg was 9cm shorter than the right leg.

First of all, Professor Song performed knee reconstruction surgery, and then an external fixator was installed on the femur on the 20th of last month. On the 4th of this month, another external fixator was installed on the calf. Professor is planning on observing Sergeling for the next 6 months and work on finding the balance between her two legs.

Sergeling’s mother was saying “it was heartbreaking to see my daughter go through such hard time and not be able to hang out with other children. It is good to finally find hope thanks to Professor Song” She added that she hopes that her leg can heal fast and healthy so that she can walk around like normal children.