[Office surgery in a private ENT clinic: a statistical analysis of 2,814 outpatient surgeries]

All 2,184 outpatient surgeries consisting of 18 surgical procedures were carried out for 1,383 subjects in four years from 2008 to 2011 at my clinic. The number of subjects undergoing office surgery ranged from 397 cases down to 308 cases per year with an annual average of 346 cases. The subjects broken down by the main surgical procedures performed comprised 780 cases of myringotomy, 276 cases of coagulator ablation of the nasal mucosa, 94 cases of removal of a foreign body in the external auditory canal and 92 cases of insertion of the ventilation tube: these 4 procedures accounted for about 90% of the total number of patients in my practice. The range indications of the other 14 procedures not only included the ear, nose and throat, but had spread to the salivary gland, the skin and the temporomandibular joint, which demonstrated the necessary skills and flexibility of an otorhinolaryngologist. Infants and children between 0 and 11 years old consisted about 60% (827/1,383), especially infants between 0 and 5 years old accounted for more than 40% (563/1,383), and so suggested the raison d'être of pediatric otorhinolaryngology surgery. On the other hand, subjects over the age of 70 accounted for 123 of 1,383 cases (8.9%), and there were three subjects over the age of 90, the oldest patient being 99 years old. The male to female ratio was 867:516, giving a sex ratio of 1.68. Recently in Japan under the universal healthcare system, we must emphasize that office surgery, completing the treatment without hospitalization, not only maintains one's expertise as an otorhinolaryngologist and has improved the quality of local healthcare, but also has contributed to the reduction of medical expenses.