Masatoshi Kakihana

About

Masatoshi Kakihana is a pioneering thoracic surgeon whose research has significantly shaped the adoption and standardization of robotic surgery in Japan. His work centers on robot-assisted thoracic surgery, particularly the application of the da Vinci Surgical System to mediastinal tumors and pulmonary procedures, as well as the economic implications of robotic technology within Japan's national healthcare framework. Kakihana's early contributions established foundational protocols for robotic surgery in Japan, beginning with optimizing da Vinci system configurations for anterior and middle mediastinal tumors (2010, 24 citations) and subsequently extending these indications to posterior mediastinal tumors (2012, 32 citations). His work on surgical training models helped address the critical absence of standardized robotic surgery curricula in Japan, while his investigations into high-speed 3D imaging advanced intraoperative visualization techniques. Perhaps most distinctively, Kakihana tackled the pressing question of financial sustainability, producing influential analyses of robotic surgery's cost-benefit performance under Japan's National Health Insurance System, guiding policymakers and hospital administrators alike. With cumulative citations demonstrating broad influence across clinical, technical, and economic dimensions, Kakihana's body of work has been instrumental in legitimizing and expanding robotic thoracic surgery as a viable, structured discipline within Japanese medicine.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Extended indications for robotic surgery for posterior mediastinal tumors

   32 citations · 2012
2. 2
   Appropriate set-up of the da Vinci(R) Surgical System in relation to the location of anterior and middle mediastinal tumors

   24 citations · 2010
3. 3
   Early experience using the da Vinci Surgical System for the treatment of mediastinal tumors

   16 citations · 2011
4. 4
   Cost-Benefit Performance of Robotic Surgery Compared with Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery under the Japanese National Health Insurance System

   14 citations · 2014
5. 5
   Training in Robotic Surgery Using the da Vinci® Surgical System for Left Pneumonectomy and Lymph Node Dissection in an Animal Model

   12 citations · 2011
6. 6
   High-Speed 3-Dimensional Imaging in Robot-Assisted Thoracic Surgical Procedures

   11 citations · 2014
7. 7
   Cost-Benefit Performance Simulation of Robot-Assisted Thoracic Surgery As Required for Financial Viability under the 2016 Revised Reimbursement Paradigm of the Japanese National Health Insurance System

   8 citations · 2018
8. 8
   Maximizing Use of Robot-Arm No. 3 in Da Vinci–Assisted Thoracic Surgery

   2 citations · 2015

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links