Staff and specialities

Professor:  Takeshi SHIMIZU
   Otology, Rhinology, Allergology, Head and Neck Tumor
Associate Professor:  Shigehiro OWAKI
   Head and Neck Tumor, Laryngology 
Associate Professor:  Hideaki KOUZAKI
   Otology, Neurotology,Head and Neck Tumor
Assistant Professor:  Takao OGAWA
   Head and Neck Tumor,Rhinology
Assistant Professor:  Masahiko ARIKATA
   Rhinology,Allergology
Assistant Professor:  Masayuki SHIBAYAMA
   Head and Neck Tumor
Assistant Professor:  Ichiro TOJIMA 
   Rhinology, Allergology
Assistant Professor:  Yuho MATSUHARA
Assistant Professor:  Tomohisa KATO

Outline of the department

  Our department covers varieties of head and neck diseases and disorders.  We diagnose and treat common diseases (such as otitis media, rhinosinusitis, pharyngolaryngitis, and tonsillitis), medical diseases (such as facial nerve paralysis, hearing loss and tinnitus) and surgical diseases (such as facial trauma and head and neck tumor).  We also treat oral and maxillofacial diseases including a tongue cancer and a gingival cancer.  To provide coordinated, comprehensive care, we work closely with local family doctors.
  We provide many specialized out-patient clinics including hearing impairment, vertigo, tinnitus, and hearing aid clinic on Monday and Tuesday, allergic disease clinic on Tuesday, laryngeal disease, smell and taste disorder, and chronic otitis media clinic on Wednesday, thyroid and head and neck tumor clinic on Thursday, nasal diseases and facial trauma clinic on Friday.
  We have more than 400 operations in a year including tympanoplasty, cochlear implantation, functional endoscopic sinus surgery, tonsillectomy, laryngeal surgety, resection of head and neck tumors and its reconstruction.


Research activities

Focus areas
I. Basic research 
[Regulation of airway inflammation]

1. Airway inflammation and defense system of upper airways
 1) Mucus production and secretion in airway inflammation.
 2) Regeneration and differentiation of epithelial cells in diseased airways.
 3) Tissue remodeling of chronic airway inflammation.
 4) Novel roles of coagulant and anticoagulant systems in airway inflammation.
 5) Role of NO in nasal physiology.
 6) Pathogenesis and treatment of smell disorders
 7) Development of vaccine therapy for influenza virus infection.
 8) Development of early diagnosis method for Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Novel roles of airway epithelial cells in the innate and adaptive immunity.
   (Collaborated with Allergic Diseases Research Laboratory, Mayo clinic, 
    Rochester )
 1) Roles of epithelial cell-derived cytokines (TSLP, IL-25, and IL-33) in airway 
    inflammation. 
 2) Functions of ST2 (a specific receptor for IL-33) in airway inflammation.

3. Pathogenesis of eosinophilic airway inflammation and its regulation. 
 1) Pathogenesis of eosinophilic mucus production.
 2) Interaction of airway epithelial cells with eosinophils.
 3) Novel functions of arachidonic acid metabolites in airway inflammation.
 4) Development of the novel treatments for eosinophilic airway inflammation.

II. Clinical research
 1. Pharmacological treatment, immunotherapy and surgery for seasonal and 
    perennial allergic rhinitis.
 2. Pharmacological treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis.
 3. Development of functional endoscopic sinus surgery.
 4. Treatment for smell and taste disorder.
 5. Genetic diagnosis for congenital hearing impairment.
 6. Tympanoplasty for the improvement of hearing.
 7. Clinical study of the phonosurgery.
 8. Partial and subtotal laryngectomy for the preservation of speech function.
 9. Transoral resection of the pharyngeal tumor as a minimally invasive surgery.
10. Surgery for the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
11. Combined treatments for the head and neck cancer.
12. Clinical research of the human papilloma virus involved in head and neck 
    cancer.