Shunji Sano, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Surgery
Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
Contact Information
San Francisco, CA 94143-0117
Academic: 415-476-3535
Clinic/appointment: 415-476-3501
shunji.sano@ucsf.edu
Education
- 1971-1977 Okayama University Medical School, Okayama, Japan, MD
- 1978-1982 Okayama University Medical School, Okayama, Japan, Ph.D.
Residencies
- 1997 Okayama University Medical School. Okayama, Japan. Internship, General Surgery
- 1998 Hiroshima City Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan. Internship, General Surgery
Fellowships
- 1982-1984 Kenritsu Amagasaki Hospital, Hyogo, Japan. Fellowship, Cardiovascular Surgery
- 1984-1985 Okayama University Medical School, Okayama, Japan. Senior Fellow, Cardiovascular Surgery
- 1985-1987 Green Lane Hospital, Auckland, NZ. Senior Fellow, Cardiothoracic Surgery
- 1987-1988 The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria. Senior Fellow, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery
Program Affiliations
- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Pediatric Heart Center
Clinical Expertise
- Arterial Switch
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Atrial Septal Defect
- Atrioventricular Heart Block
- Fetal Cardiac Surgery
- Heart Valve Disease
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
- Marfan Syndrome
- Mitral Valve Repair & Replacement
- Myocardial Revascularization Surgery
- Norwood Procedure
- Patent Ductus Arteriosus
- Pediatric Heart Failure
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Transposition of Great Arteries
- Ventricular Aneurysm
- Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)
- Ventricular Septal Defect
Research Interests
- Heart simulation
- Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
- Progenitor cell therapy
- Neonatal Surgery
- Stem cells for failing single ventricle
Foreign Languages Spoken
- Japanese
Biography
Shunji Sano, M.D., Ph.D. is a pediatric congenital heart surgeon and Professor of Surgery in the Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery.
After graduating from Okayama University Medical School, Dr. Sano spent 8 years as a resident at Okayama University Medical School and Hiroshima City Hospital. He later became Professor and Chairman of Okayama University Medical School.
Dr. Sano is world-renowned in surgical innovation, pioneering the "Sano Procedure" (also known as the RV-PA shunt or Sano Shunt), a surgical procedure to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome and now an established procedure used by pediatric cardiac surgeons throughout the world, as well as the RV/RA exclusion to severe forms of Ebstein's anomaly, staged biventricular repair of pulmonary atresia, and intact ventricular septum. Dr. Sano has performed over 7,000 congenital heart surgeries with very low mortality.
Dr. Sano collaborated with two renowned heart surgeons, in 1985 as a Senior Fellow with Sir Brian Barrett-Boyes in Green Lane Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand and in 1987 as a member of Dr. Roger Mee's research team in the Royal Children's Hospital at Melbourne, Australia.
Research Overview
Dr. Sano research includes the use of progenitor (stem) cell therapy for patients with heart failure in single ventricle patients.
Publications
Most recent publications from a total of 178
- , Ishigami S, Sano T. New era of heart failure therapy in pediatrics: Cardiac stem cell therapy on the start line. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Sep; 158(3):845-849. View in PubMed
- Eitoku T, Baba K, Kondou M, Kurita Y, Fukushima Y, Hirai K, Ohtsuki S, Ishigami S, , Oh H. Transcoronary cell infusion with the stop-flow technique in children with single-ventricle physiology. Pediatr Int. 2018 Mar; 60(3):240-246. View in PubMed
- Sano T, Ousaka D, Goto T, Ishigami S, Hirai K, Kasahara S, Ohtsuki S, , Oh H. Impact of Cardiac Progenitor Cells on Heart Failure and Survival in Single Ventricle Congenital Heart Disease. Circ Res. 2018 03 30; 122(7):994-1005. View in PubMed
- Hirata Y, Miyata H, Hirahara N, Murakami A, Kado H, Sakamoto K, , Takamoto S. Long-Term Results of Bilateral Pulmonary Artery Banding Versus Primary Norwood Procedure. Pediatr Cardiol. 2018 Jan; 39(1):111-119. View in PubMed
- Ishigami S, Ohtsuki S, Eitoku T, Ousaka D, Kondo M, Kurita Y, Hirai K, Fukushima Y, Baba K, Goto T, Horio N, Kobayashi J, Kuroko Y, Kotani Y, Arai S, Iwasaki T, Sato S, Kasahara S, , Oh H. Intracoronary Cardiac Progenitor Cells in Single Ventricle Physiology: The PERSEUS (Cardiac Progenitor Cell Infusion to Treat Univentricular Heart Disease) Randomized Phase 2 Trial. Circ Res. 2017 Mar 31; 120(7):1162-1173. View in PubMed
- Ousaka D, Fujii Y, Oozawa S, Nishibori M, Kuroko Y, Masuda Z, . Decreased Serum Levels of High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB-1) after Graft Replacement or Stenting of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Ann Vasc Surg. 2017 May; 41:265-270. View in PubMed
- Miyamoto Y, Masuda Z, Kotani Y, Tarui S, Kuroko Y, Fujii Y, Ozawa S, . [Delayed Diagnosis of Aortic Dissection Following Thrombolytic Therapy in a Patient with Acute Ischemic Stroke;Report of a Case]. Kyobu Geka. 2016 Nov; 69(12):1037-1040. View in PubMed
- Takeuchi H, Okuyama M, Uchida HA, Kakio Y, Umebayashi R, Okuyama Y, Fujii Y, Ozawa S, Yoshida M, Oshima Y, , Wada J. Chronic Kidney Disease Is Positively and Diabetes Mellitus Is Negatively Associated with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. PLoS One. 2016; 11(10):e0164015. View in PubMed
- Oh H, Ito H, . Challenges to success in heart failure: Cardiac cell therapies in patients with heart diseases. J Cardiol. 2016 11; 68(5):361-367. View in PubMed
- Kijima Y, Akagi T, Takaya Y, Taniguchi M, Nakagawa K, Kusano K, , Ito H. Deficient Surrounding Rims in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Atrial Septal Defect Closure. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2016 08; 29(8):768-776. View in PubMed
- View All Publications
In the News
- UCSF Department of Surgery - - July 18, 2017The Department of Surgery welcomes three new pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons who recently joined the faculty: Peter Kouretas, M.D., Ph.D., Shunji Sano, M.D., Ph.D., and Naveen Swami, MCh. Dr. Shunji Sano is a world-renowned pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, the pioneer of an innovative surgical procedure to treat hypoplastic left heart syndrome, now known as the "Sano Procedure", an established surgical intervention used by pediatric cardiac surgeons throughout the globe. After graduating [...]
