Department of Neurological Surgery

This department was first founded in 1945 as The Department of Surgery in Wakayama Medical College by Professor Dr. Arase

Outlines

Prof. Takebayashi, following Prof. Mitsuji Hama performed the first brain operation in the operating room of Wakayama Medical College in 1955, the epoch-making year for the department and for the history of the brain surgery in Japan. The department was officially named the Department of Neurological Surgery in 1970. The Director and Professor of the department from 1966 to 1976 was Dr. Masuhisa Oka, and 1977 to 1995, it was , Dr. Norihiko Komai, Dr. Toru Itakura started managing the department in1995. There are 20 to 25 members in the department including two associate professors, five assistant professors, residents and doctors in the training program (the terms for all these positions are a little different from those in the other countries). Neurosurgeons trained in the department have been honored in every branch hospital because of their clinical activities and the their care for the patients.

Research activities

Our research activities cover a wide area of research fields from the development of operative techniques for the brain and the spinal cord to basic research relating to the field of neuroscience. Trials of the transplantation of neural tissues to the patient's brain with parkinsonism is one of the major clinical researches of the department. Development of the techniques for the stereotactic surgery as well as the interventional neuroradiology are also major concerns in the department. Recently, the neuronavigator and X-knife have been introduced and applied to variety of neurological diseases.

Staff

Toru Itakura : Professor and Director of the Department
Birthplace: Sapporo, Hokkaido Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1970
Particular Field of Interests and Skills:functional surgery
e-mail:titakura@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Kunio Nakai : Professor at Nursing Collge, Wakayama Medical University
Birthplace: Kainan, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1976
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: skull base surgery
e-mail: knakai@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Tomoaki Terada: Associate Professor
Birthplace: Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1980
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: interventional vascular surgery
e-mail: teradato@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Yuji Uematsu: Associate Professor
Birthplace: Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1981
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: brain tumor surgery, stereotactic radio-surgery
e-mail: yujiue@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Mitsuharu Tsuura: Associate Professor
Birthplace: Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1984
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: interventional vascular surgery
e-mail: mtsuura@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Shinji Imae: Associate Professor
Birthplace: Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1985
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: spinal surgery
e-mail: imae@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Yoshitugu Ooiwa: Assistant Professor
Birthplace: Kokawa, Naga County, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1985
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: skull base surgery
e-mail: oiwa@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Mitsuhiro Ogura: Assistant Professor
Birthplace:Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1988
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: stereotactic surgery
e-mail:ogura@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Kenji Kubo: Assistant Professor
Birthplace:Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1988
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: stereotactic radiosurgery(gamma knife)
e-mail:kuboken@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Daisuke Naka: Assistant Prof.
Birthplace:Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1989
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: functional neurosurgery, functional MRI
e-mail: ndaisuke@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Yoshiyuki Tanaka: Assistant Prof.
Birthplace:Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1991
Particular Field of Interests and Skills: brain tumor surgery, molecular analysis
e-mail:

Tomoyuki Tsumoto: Fellow
Birthplace:Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1994
e-mail: tsumotot@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Koji Fujita: Graduate Student
Birthplace:Hiroshima City,Hiroshima Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1993
e-mail: kfujita@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Osamu Masuo: Graduate Student
Birthplace:Iwade, Naga County, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1993
e-mail:omasuo@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Aki Shintani:
Birthplace:Wakayama City, Wakayama Japan, Graduated Wakayama Medical College in 1993
e-mail:aki-s@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Yasuhiko Nishimura:
Birthplace:Osaka City, Osaka Japan, Graduated Kinki University Medical School in 1993
e-mail: nisso@wakayama-med.ac.jp

Links:

Itakura's Homeoage: http://mac-cj.wakayama-med.ac.jp/default.html

Department's Homepage: http://kn8100.wakayama-med.ac.jp/