Background : There have so far been few studies carried out on beech pollinosis. We measured the number of airborne tree pollen in Ito City, which is located near the beech forests of Amagi. We also conducted a survey in Amagi and performed allergen antibody tests. The goal of this study was to identify sufferers and promote allergy prevention. Methods : Airborne tree pollen in Ito city has been measured with a Durham sampler since 2001. Vaseline-coated glass slides were suspended at Mt. Amagi in May 2018 in order to measure airborne tree pollen. Allergen antibody tests were performed on cedar/cypress allergy patients with prolonged symptoms. Results : Beech pollen from Amagi did not reach Ito. Most airborne Fagaceae pollen in Ito were from Quercus and Castanea/Castanopsis. Approximately half of all Japanese cedar/Japanese cypress pollen allergy patients with lingering allergy symptoms were positive for beech and oak allergy. Conclusions : The main cause of Fagaceae pollen allergy in Ito was oak pollen. Patients with Fagaceae pollen allergy should therefore be warned about the oak, chestnut, and pasania pollen seasons, as well as the beech pollen season when they visit beech forests. In addition, patients should be instructed to be careful about the possibility of developing oral allergy syndrome due to a cross-reaction between Fagales tree pollen and Rosaceae fruit.

Unilateral isolated paralysis of the soft palate is a relatively rare condition. In adults, it is often caused by varicella zoster virus infection, while the cause is often unknown in children. There have been few reports of pediatric cases in comparison with adults, and the time from the onset to symptom improvement is short, so the detailed clinical course is unknown. We herein report a case of unilateral isolated paralysis of the soft palate in childhood and confirm the improvement of nasopharyngeal closure based on nasopharyngeal endoscopic and video fluorographic findings. The subjective symptoms disappeared five days after the onset, and the prognosis was good. Based on the temporal relationship, the involvement of influenza was suspected, but it is unlikely that the influenza virus itself directly caused inflammation of the cranial nerve. We postulate that the etiology involved inflammation of the pharyngeal branch of the vagal nerve.

One of the most difficult aspects of laterofixation (called the Ejnell technique) is slipping threads through the upper needle and outside the thyroid cartilage. We use the Endo Close^TM device to draw threads inside the thyroid cartilage to the outside. We herein report two tracheostomy patients who underwent laterofixation using the Endo Close^TM device and had their trachostomies successfully closed. We concluded that the Endo Close^TM device was effective for such procedures.

We herein report the surgical management of traumatic severe glottic web via the laryngofissure approach. A 55-year-old woman underwent tracheostomy due to traumatic upper airway constriction. Thick glottic web was found, and the airway had been further narrowed in the anterior-posterior dimension due to thyroid cartilage fracture. Microlaryngeal surgery was performed, resulting in the recurrence of glottic web. Thereafter, a second surgery was performed via the staged laryngofissure approach. After resection of the glottic web, the superior and inferior stump were sutured together, and the anterior stump was sutured to the cervical skin in order to enlarge the anterior-posterior dimension of the airway. Four weeks after stenting to prevent web recurrence, the laryngofissure was closed. This approach resulted in no recurrence of glottic web, expansion of the airway, or decannulation. Since microlaryngeal surgery is minimally invasive, glottic web is generally treated with microlaryngeal surgery. However, the laryngofissure approach is still useful for managing refractory thick glottic web.