The research described in this book represents important steps toward understanding the development of inner ear medicine and new perspectives in regenerative medicine, including efficacy in cochlear implants and various other treatments. The book depicts the mechanisms that underlie inner ear diseases, their experimental models, and proposals for new strategies to treat their symptoms. As well, the exciting future prospects for dealing with the very common problem of inner ear diseases are explained. These disorders occur among many people and include sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), sudden deafness, senile deafness, noise-induced deafness, tinnitus, dizziness-vertigo, and Meniere's disease. In Japan alone, there are more than 6 million deaf patients including those with middle-range deafness. There is currently no effective treatment, and regardless of the underlying cause, the damage has been considered irreversible. However, the results of recent research show that these patients actually can recover. The study of hair cells, spiral ganglion neurons, and stem cells for inner ear diseases such as SNHL, tinnitus, dizziness, and vertigo is at the forefront of regenerative medicine and may provide solutions to some of these problems. The information presented here makes this book a valuable professional reference work for all doctors and researchers in the field of otolaryngology who focus on regenerative treatments for inner ear diseases.

This book describes an exciting new movement using regenerative medicine to treat patients with otolaryngological diseases. The emerging field of regenerative medicine uses tissue engineering, which combines medicine and engineering not only to treat the diseases themselves but also to enable recovery of the function of affected areas. As otolaryngology covers wide regions, including many diseases of the head and neck, the book is divided into sections, each corresponding to a different anatomical structure - the ear, nose, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and head and neck. The structural developments of each region, the underlying mechanisms of diseases specific to these regions, their experimental models and proposals for new regenerative treatment are all discussed in detail. The various diseases and symptoms considered in the book include inner ear and middle ear diseases, rhinitis, nasal sinusitis and otolaryngological cancers. To date there have been few clinical studies reporting regenerative medical applications in the field of otolaryngology, but in this volume leading authors present the latest research findings to help provide new therapies for patients in the future. This state-of-the-art information makes the book a valuable professional reference work for all doctors and researchers who focus on regenerative treatments in the field of otolaryngology and neuroscience.

The research described in this book represents important steps toward understanding the development of inner ear medicine and new perspectives in regenerative medicine, including efficacy in cochlear implants and various other treatments. The book depicts the mechanisms that underlie inner ear diseases, their experimental models, and proposals for new strategies to treat their symptoms. As well, the exciting future prospects for dealing with the very common problem of inner ear diseases are explained. These disorders occur among many people and include sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), sudden deafness, senile deafness, noise-induced deafness, tinnitus, dizziness-vertigo, and Meniere's disease. In Japan alone, there are more than 6 million deaf patients including those with middle-range deafness. There is currently no effective treatment, and regardless of the underlying cause, the damage has been considered irreversible. However, the results of recent research show that these patients actually can recover. The study of hair cells, spiral ganglion neurons, and stem cells for inner ear diseases such as SNHL, tinnitus, dizziness, and vertigo is at the forefront of regenerative medicine and may provide solutions to some of these problems. The information presented here makes this book a valuable professional reference work for all doctors and researchers in the field of otolaryngology who focus on regenerative treatments for inner ear diseases.