Departments and Centers

Swallowing Disorders Center

Chairman George UmemotoDDS.,Ph.D.

As the rapid graying of Japan's population continues, hospital inpatients are also aging. Treatments for dysphagia, including evaluations and maintenance of swallowing function and prevention of aspiration pneumonia and food suffocation, become more important. The Swallowing Disorders Center was established in January 2019 to provide team medical care to patients with dysphagia. We collect information about patients with dysphagia, perform swallowing examinations and rehabilitation, and provide patient information to the collaborating medical facilities when patients are discharged or transferred.

Special characteristic and feature

The team consisting of medical doctors, dentists, nurses, speech therapists, dental hygienists and managerial dieticians is responsible for the following activities.

  1. Collection of information about dysphagia of inpatients
  2. Evaluation of swallowing function using VFSS or FEES,
    Dietary modification and adjustment of liquid viscosities
  3. Swallowing training
  4. Provision of patient information to collaborating medical facilities
  5. Education of hospital staff engaged in dysphagia care
Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS)
Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES)
pureed diets
soft diets