Greetings
Otolaryngology is a group of specialists who treat functions that are important for humans to live as human beings in society. While being experts in the sensory organs, such as hearing, smell, taste, and balance, otolaryngology also provides medical treatment for functions such as eating and swallowing, speech, and breathing, as well as the organs necessary for these functions, namely the entire head and neck, including the ears, nose, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and neck, excluding the brain, spinal cord, and eyes above the neck. We pride ourselves on being specialists who maximize the preservation and improvement of essential senses and functions necessary for daily living, thereby maintaining and improving our patients' quality of life (QOL).
Chief of the Department Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Surgery
Koichiro Wasano
Treatment details
The Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery treats a wide range of conditions, including ear disorders such as otitis media, sensorineural hearing loss, facial nerve paralysis, and dizziness; nasal and sinus disorders such as sinusitis and allergic rhinitis; pharyngeal disorders such as tonsils; laryngeal disorders such as vocal cord polyps and vocal cord nodules; neck disorders such as lymphadenitis and thyroid tumors; salivary gland disorders; and head and neck malignancies such as oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, and pharyngeal cancer. Outpatient and inpatient care is provided by 12 staff members and three clinical assistants. We see approximately 27,000 outpatients annually, of which approximately 5,000 are first-time patients. We also offer a wide range of specialist outpatient services, including sinus, nasal allergies, head and neck tumors, otitis media, facial nerve, hearing loss and hearing aids, dizziness, tinnitus, tonsils, pediatric hearing loss, and swallowing. We see approximately 700 inpatients annually and perform approximately 1,000 surgeries.
Main target diseases
Nose/sinus disease
We mainly perform endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for sinusitis. ESS has an effectiveness rate of approximately 90% and a low complication rate, achieving good results. We utilize clinical pathways and a short-term surgical hospitalization center to perform surgery with a short-term hospitalization period of 5 days.
Otitis media and hearing loss
Depending on the case, we perform tympanoplasty on an outpatient basis or with a 5-7 day hospital stay. For sensorineural hearing loss, we provide hearing aid instruction in the hearing aid outpatient clinic (Tuesday afternoons) and select and fit appropriate hearing aids. We resumed cochlear implant surgery in 2022.
Facial nerve disorders
We treat facial paralysis of unknown cause (Bell's palsy), viral Hunt syndrome, and traumatic paralysis. Mild cases are treated with oral steroids, while severe cases require hospitalization and high-dose intravenous infusion of steroids and antiviral drugs. We also perform surgical treatment called facial nerve decompression. For after-effects, we provide rehabilitation therapy that effectively uses botulinum toxin with the cooperation of our rehabilitation department.
Dizziness disorders
We use various tests (ENG, VEMP, stabilometry) to make accurate diagnoses for all types of dizziness. For intractable dizziness, we provide dizziness rehabilitation guidance in the outpatient clinic once a week. It is notable that there has been an increase in dizziness in children, dizziness due to migraines, and dizziness in the elderly in recent years.
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Head and neck malignant tumors
We select surgical treatment, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, etc., either alone or in combination, taking into consideration the disease, stage of progression, age, and physical strength. We hold a weekly head and neck tumor conference in collaboration with Department of Radiation Therapy to determine the most appropriate treatment method for each patient, whether they are inpatient or outpatient. We also provide molecular targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy in collaboration with cancer chemotherapy physicians on an outpatient and inpatient basis. Starting in 2022, we have also begun offering Aluminox treatment (photoimmunotherapy) for head and neck cancer, robot-assisted surgery for pharyngeal and laryngeal cancer, and endoscopic thyroid surgery.
Main medical achievements
2025年度
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Tympanoplasty 77 cases
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Tympanoplasty 8 cases
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Facial nerve decompression: 6 cases
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23 cases of cochlear implant surgery
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Stapes surgery 8 cases
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Acoustic neuroma: 0 cases
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Inner ear window closure surgery: 1 case
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153 endoscopic sinus surgeries
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Nasal septum correction surgery 69 cases
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Inferior nasal turbinate surgery 121 cases
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Nasal sinus tumor removal: 15 cases
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Transnasal pterygoid canal nerve transection: 53 cases
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Nasal mucosal cauterization: 14 cases
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142 tonsillectomies performed.
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30 surgeries for malignant pharyngeal tumors
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11 surgeries for malignant oral tumors
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19 surgeries for malignant laryngeal tumors
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One case of malignant tumor surgery of the nose and paranasal sinuses.
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Oral and hypopharyngeal transoral resection: 46 cases
(Including 10 robot-assisted surgeries for malignant tumors of the pharynx and larynx) -
118 cases of neck dissection.
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Submandibular gland tumor excision: 9 cases
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54 parotid gland tumor removal surgeries
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84 thyroid tumor resection surgeries
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Lymph node biopsies: 48 cases
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Laryngeal microsurgery 38 cases
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Swallowing improvement/accidental swallow prevention technique 5 cases
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Reconstructive surgery 7 cases
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42 tracheostomy procedures
Doctor List
Department Chief: Koichiro Wasano
Outpatient: 0463 (93) 1121 extension 6391
Professor Koichiro Wasano
| Specialization | Otology |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Society of Otorhinolaryngology / Specialist of the Japan Society for Tracheoesophageal Science / Clinical Geneticist / Head and Neck Cancer Specialist / Certified Oncologist / Dizziness Consultant of the Japan Society for Equilibrium Research |
| Specialized Areas | Middle ear surgery, cochlear implants, hearing loss (including congenital hearing loss and age-related hearing loss), facial nerve |
| Outpatient medical day | Wednesday and Thursday |
Professor Kenji Okami
| Specialization | head and neck surgery |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Otolaryngological Society / Specialist of the Japan Tracheoesophageal Society / Japan Certified Cancer Therapist / Head and Neck Cancer Specialist |
| Specialized Areas | Multidisciplinary treatment and minimally invasive surgery for head and neck cancer |
| Outpatient medical day | Monday |
Professor Fumiyuki Goto
| Specialization | balance neurology, rhinology |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Society of Otolaryngology / Dizziness Consultant of the Japan Society for Equilibrium Research |
| Specialized Areas | Treatment for dizziness |
| Outpatient medical day | Monday, Thursday, Friday |
Associate Professor Shoji Kaneda
| Specialization | Rhinology |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Otolaryngological Society |
| Specialized Areas | nasal sinus surgery |
| Outpatient medical day | Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday (5th) |
Lecturer: Hiroshi Hyakusoku
| Specialization | Otology, balance neurology |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Society of Otolaryngology / Dizziness Consultant of the Japan Society for Equilibrium Research / Certified Otologist of the Japan Otological Society / Certified Oncologist of the Japan Society for Cancer Therapy |
| Specialized Areas | Ear surgery, hearing loss |
| Outpatient medical day | Monday, Friday, Saturday (1st) |
Lecturer: Kazufumi Obata
| Specialization | head and neck surgery |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Japan Otolaryngological Society Specialist / Endocrine Surgery Specialist / Japan Certified Cancer Therapist / Head and Neck Cancer Specialist |
| Specialized Areas | head and neck cancer surgery |
| Outpatient medical day | Mondays and Thursdays |
Assistant Professor Takanobu Teramura
| Specialization | General Otology |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Otolaryngological Society |
| Specialized Areas | Tonsillitis (sleep apnea syndrome, tonsillar focal infection), childhood hearing loss, hearing aids |
| Outpatient medical day | Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (3rd Saturday) |
Assistant Professor Mayu Yamauchi
| Specialization | head and neck surgery |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Board Certified Otolaryngologist (Japan Society of Otorhinolaryngology) / Certified Oncologist (Japan Society of Cancer Therapy) / Head and Neck Cancer Specialist |
| Specialized Areas | head and neck cancer surgery |
| Outpatient medical day | Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (1st) |
Assistant Professor Aritomo Yamazaki
| Specialization | General ENT |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Otolaryngological Society |
| Outpatient medical day | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (3rd Saturday) |
Assistant Professor Takane Watanabe
| Specialization | head and neck surgery |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Otolaryngological Society / Certified Japanese Cancer Therapist |
| Specialized Areas | head and neck cancer surgery |
| Outpatient medical day | Wednesday and Thursday |
Assistant Professor Toshihide Inagi
| Specialization | General ENT |
|---|---|
| Specialist | Specialist of the Japan Otolaryngological Society |
| Outpatient medical day | Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday (1st) |
Assistant Professor Yoshiyuki Ota
| Specialization | General ENT |
|---|---|
| Outpatient medical day | Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays (3rd and 5th) |
Ai Yamamoto, Assistant Professor
| Specialization | General ENT |
|---|---|
| Outpatient medical day | Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday (1st and 5th) |