Number of Surgeries

Number of Surgeries Performed Table below shows the annual number of surgeries we have performed in Kyoto ENT Surgicenter since its start in August 2010. The data will be updated on regular basis.

Specific surgeries in the ear, nose and vocal discipline include, respectively, tympanoplasty and stapes surgery (for the ear), Endoscopic sinus surgery (for the nose) and thyroplasty (for the vocal disorder). We will elaborate here specifically the surgery in the vocal area as there has recently been a big surge in the social awareness and need for it.

Dr. Nobuhiko Isshiki, Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University, and Dr. Masahiro Tanabe, with their colleagues, have pioneered the development of laryngeal framework surgery for over half a century. The well-known surgery performed today is called thyroplasty, a procedure which allows the surgical improvement of the voice possible without direct contact with the vocal folds. Dr. Isshiki has held workshops around the world for years, introducing and lecturing on the surgery at places such as the Mayo Clinic.

The surgery is a relatively simple in concept but requires a delicate adjustment involving skilled craftsmanship. And we have committed ourselves to further enhancing the method to achieve complete satisfaction for our patients.

This is delicate adjustment is made possible only by the use of local anesthesia for intraoperative communication with patients, and requires a high-level accuracy in procedure. The quality of our operation is very high owing to our experience and the feedback from procedure.

The quality of our operation is very high owing to our accumulated experience and the feedback from patients.In addition to the treatment for vocal fold paralysis, we are actively engaged in performing type 2 thyroplasty to treat spasmodic dysphonia as well as surgery for raising the vocal pitch in those who suffer from GID.

Although the numbers for the first few years in the table below are small since they are limited to the number of surgeries in our facility which opened in 2010, the total number of these surgeries performed by Dr. Isshiki and Dr. Tanabe throughout their medical careers is the highest in Japan.Moreover, the number of these surgeries in our clinic has been making a rapid jump this year.

Number of voice surgeries

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
thyroplasty 6(6) 14(12) 35(28) 124(95) 133(102) 99(62) 94(55) 112 97 95 108(43) 136(54) 112(10)
laryngeal microsurgery   2 1 3 8 4 8 12 11 6 12 5 10

*Figures in parentheses are for Type II thyroplasty only.