Dr. John Matsuura readily admits that he was the kind of kid who got into anything that would either sting or hurt him.
And whenever that happened, his uncle, Dr. Henry Yokoyama, was there to comfort and take care of him.
“I really credit my uncle for getting me interested in medicine,” Matsuura says.
That interest would propel Matsuura into the technological forefront of a very specific type of surgery – one that has been forever changed by the advent of robotic equipment. The Vascular Surgery Department at Miami Valley Hospital was at the forefront of putting robotics to use in surgery; it was the third center in the U.S. to purchase the Magellan Robotic System. Matsuura, who leads the department, has had more Magellan cases than any other surgeon in the nation.
Matsuura employs a colorful analogy to describe what performing surgery without the Magellan is like: driving a bumper car on a curvy path and repeatedly bouncing off the sides.
“The Magellan has now given us a steering wheel,” he says.
And when one realizes the sides of that path are actually the walls of a patient’s blood vessels, the importance of the Magellan system becomes that much easier for the non-medically savvy to grasp. Studies on robotic catheters have shown fewer contacts with the walls of the vessels they travel in, Matsuura says.
“There’s no question in my mind that the ability of the robotic system can create more precise movements than I could ever do with my own fingers.” - Dr. John Matsuura
Matsuura’s impressive track record and interest in robotics and vascular surgery should come as no surprise. His interest in the sciences was ingrained in him at an early age, through his father.
Matsuura, 57, was born in Minneapolis. He spent his early years in Colorado while his father pursued a degree in psychology. Matsuura’s father, from Hawaii, wanted to complete his doctoral thesis and return to the islands to go into clinical psychologies.
Matsuura’s mother, who is from Japan, met Matsuura’s father during World War II. She encouraged Matsuura and his siblings to attend college – something she was never able to do.
Matsuura spent some time as a lab technician at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Genetics. He also worked in embryology and biochemistry, but his plan was always to pursue medicine.
In 1982, he graduated with a B.A. in both zoology and chemistry. He got his doctorate degree at the university’s School of Medicine in 1987. During a general surgery residency at Wright State University School of Medicine, Matsuura met his wife, Natalie, who is a graduate of Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing.
Following his first residency, Matsuura spent some time in the U.S. Air Force, serving first at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and then at Castle Air Force Base in California as Major, General Surgeon, 93rd Medical Group. He was awarded an Air Force Commendation Medal and a National Defense Medal, and was honorably discharged in 1998.
Dr. Paul McNeil, a vascular surgeon at Wright-Patterson, urged Matsuura to take an opportunity in Richmond, Va. This opportunity would become the ticket for his entrance into vascular surgery.
“(McNeil) was a great influence,” Matsuura says.
From 1994-96, Matsuura completed two fellowships – first in vascular surgery, then in vascular research – with the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. There he met his mentor and friend, Dr. David Rosenthal.
“We seemed to hit it off,” Matsuura says.
Rosenthal convinced Matsuura to join him at his practice in Atlanta. Matsuura spent many years there, holding positions at the Medical College of Georgia, Emory University School of Medicine and Atlanta Medical Center.
Before returning to Wright State and becoming employed with Miami Valley Hospital, Matsuura worked in Iowa so he could show Natalie more of the Midwest.
“It was a wonderful opportunity,” he says.
Matsuura worked at the University of Iowa School of Medicine and the Des Moines University School of Medicine. It gave him a chance to work with a larger group and garner more experience. He also had his own surgical residency program.
He says it was fate that he reconnected with Dr. Mary McCarthy, chairwoman of the Department of Surgery at Wright State, while she served as a visiting professor at the residency training program in Iowa.
Matsuura hadn’t seen McCarthy since his residency program at Wright State, and the two reconnected over dinner. She offered him a job and, since 2013, Matsuura has served as professor and chief, section of vascular surgery, at Wright State.
Though his career brought him to the Midwest, Matsuura still visits Hawaii when he can. He used to spearfish and night dive, and he still enjoys snorkeling. When he isn’t taking in the sun in the tropics, he takes pleasure in skiing as well. He and his wife have three cats.
Revolutionizing the Industry: The Magellan’s effect on vascular surgery
Dr. John Matsuura calls the Magellan System the future of medicine: “It’s unbelievable, I think, what we’re going to see in the next decade,” he says.
It is a future that he says will not only move toward minimally invasive care, but also improve success rates in surgery.
Some of the positive results are already being studied. The robotic platform lets medical professionals remotely control catheter insertion, enabling them to change the shape and direction of the catheter via hand controls.
One portion of a study is also investigating the effects of the Magellan system on radiology exposure rates for patients undergoing vascular surgery. X-rays are necessary to illuminate the blood vessel so the catheter can be guided inside it, whether using robot technology or wire manipulations.
Still, the study has produced early evidence that the patient has less X-ray exposure when the robotic catheter system is used.
Other technology, entering early phases of animal experimentation, explores using electromagnetic navigation to replace X-rays. Matsuura says there’s potential for it to be used within the next five to 10 years.
Similarly, Dr. Caroline Cao, of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Wright State University School of Medicine, is leading a study to explore the use of laser technology in lieu of X-rays.
“I can see a day when new imaging and robotic navigation will allow us to travel into arteries using less radiation,” Matsuura says. “In my opinion, it is truly the future of treating patients with peripheral artery disease.”
Sarah Sole is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
