Shunji Sano, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Surgery
Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic 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 186
- , Sano T, Ishigami S, Ito T. Cardiac stem cell therapy: Does a newborn infant's heart have infinite potential for stem cell therapy? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Sep 14. View in PubMed
- Kobayashi Y, Kotani Y, Kuroko Y, Tateishi A, , Kasahara S. Anatomical Risk Factors for Reintervention after Arterial Switch Operation for Taussig-Bing Anomaly. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Aug 11. View in PubMed
- . Will PTFE-graft with cobra-head cuff become a new choice? Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Jul 17. View in PubMed
- Ishigami S, Sano T, Krishnapura S, Ito T, . An overview of stem cell therapy for paediatric heart failure. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2020 Nov 01; 58(5):881-887. View in PubMed
- Sano T, Ishigami S, Ito T, . Stem Cell Therapy in Heart Disease: Limitations and Future Possibilities. Acta Med Okayama. 2020 Jun; 74(3):185-190. 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 [...]
