Papers
96
Total Citations
2,346
H-Index
24
About
Makoto Hashizume is a pioneering Japanese surgeon and biomedical engineer whose career has fundamentally shaped the field of robotic and minimally invasive surgery. Working at the intersection of clinical medicine and surgical robotics, Hashizume has dedicated his research to developing and validating computer-enhanced surgical systems that reduce patient trauma while improving procedural precision. His early adoption and clinical evaluation of the da Vinci robotic platform — documented in widely cited works from 2001 to 2003 — helped establish robotic assistance as a legitimate paradigm in general, gastric, and thoracoscopic surgery, accumulating over 650 citations across those foundational studies alone. Beyond commercial systems, Hashizume drove original hardware innovation, developing an ultrasound-guided needle-insertion robot for percutaneous cholecystostomy and a minimally invasive system with augmented force feedback, demonstrating his commitment to solving real clinical challenges through engineering. His later work on single-port robotic systems and flexible endoscopic platforms reflects a sustained effort to push surgical robotics toward greater dexterity and accessibility. With a body of work spanning more than two decades and touching oncology, endoscopy, and teleoperated surgery, Hashizume remains an influential figure whose contributions have helped define modern surgical robotics as a discipline.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2Robot-assisted gastric surgery205 citations · 2003
- 3An ultrasound-driven needle-insertion robot for percutaneous cholecystostomy179 citations · 2004
- 4Thoracoscopic thymomectomy with the da Vinci computer-enhanced surgical system150 citations · 2001
- 5A new era of robotic surgery assisted by a computer-enhanced surgical system86 citations · 2002
- 6Robotic Surgery and Cancer: the Present State, Problems and Future Vision80 citations · 2004
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