An eleven-year-old Hungarian boy named Loránd has become one of the first people in the world—and the very first in Hungary—to receive a new smart cochlear implant, offering him a chance to experience near-natural hearing once again.
The groundbreaking procedure took place on 25 June 2025 at the Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Head-Neck Surgery of the Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center at the University of Szeged. The surgery was led by Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector of the University of Szeged, and performed by the Szeged Hearing Improvement and Implantation Working Group.
Loránd, known as Lóri, had managed to learn to speak with the help of a traditional hearing aid, but progressive hearing loss was making it increasingly difficult for him to keep up at school and communicate with family and friends. Drawing on the positive experience of his younger brother, who also has a cochlear implant, Lóri’s family opted for this latest innovation.
The Nucleus® Nexa™ Implant, described by Prof. Rovó as a “milestone in medical technology,” is the world’s first smart cochlear implant. Unlike previous models, it offers continuous self-monitoring, dynamic power management, and firmware updates, ensuring the device can evolve with future technological advances—much like a smartphone compared to an older mobile.
Four weeks after surgery, Lóri will begin rehabilitation, with hopes of achieving almost perfect hearing within months—just in time to return to school and resume his passion for acrobatic rock and roll competitions.
At a press conference held at the University’s Main Building, Cochlear’s representatives and Hungarian patient advocates highlighted how this technology could transform lives, enabling those born with hearing loss to hear better as they grow, thanks to devices that improve over time.
Source: University of Szeged
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