Professor Hisaya Takeuchi was born on December 8, 1933. He graduated from the Juntendo University School of Medicine in 1959 and the Juntendo University Postgraduate School of Medicine in 1964. He became research associate of the Department of Ob/Gyn, Juntendo University in 1964 and rose to the rank of Associate Professor at the department in 1984 and Professor and Chairman of the Urayasu Hospital, Juntendo University, in 1988.
Being one of the early pioneers in Obstetrical and Gynecological ultrasonography in Japan, Professor Takeuchi is also one of the more important, influential and well-known ultrasound figures in the era of the "ultrasonic boom" (in the mid 1960s). The first paper on ultrasound diagnosis of gynecological masses by using transvaginal A-mode technique was published in 1958 by Michio Ishihara and Hajime Murooka. This was the first paper on ultrasound diagnosis in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Japan. (This was also the same year that Professor Ian Donald in Scotland published his first paper on ultrasound diagnosis in Obstetrics and Gynecology using the B-scan). Takeuchi started studies on ultrasound diagnosis using both A-mode and B-mode equipment in 1962, under guidance from Professor Toshio Wagai, quite independently and without knowledge of Murooka's work. Prior to this he was researching on the biochemistry of uterine smooth muscle. The Murooka's group did not continue their work after the first two papers presented at scientific meetings.
Takeuchi used japan's first commercial medical A-scanner, the SSD-2 and a prototype water-bag B-scanner, later becoming the SSD-1, from the Aloka company. The application of B-mode ultrasound to Obstetrical and Gynaecological diagnosis in Japan started around 1962 through the efforts of Takeuchi and his colleagues.
Takeuchi, Shigemitsu Mizuno, Koh Nakano and Masao Arima followed up much of the work at the Juntendo University. The first ultrasound scan of a 6-week gestational sac by vaginal A-scan was reported in the Japanese language in 1963. From 1962, the group worked extensively with the water-bag B-scanner, the SSD-1, and was very active in many areas and producing a large number of research publications, ranging from early pregnancy diagnosis to cephalometry to placentography. They also reported on a large series of pelvic tumors in 1965, and in the following 2 years switched from the water-bag contact scanner to the articulated-arm compound contact scanner, the SSD-10.
Professor Takeuchi's work encompassed that of early cephalometry, diagnosis of fetal malformations, intravaginal scans, doppler ultrasound and more recently 3-dimensional ultrasound.
Professor Takeuchi is regarded by many as a distinguished teacher, clinician and researcher. He is very active and well-respected at the national and International levels. He is among a handful of ultrasound pioneers that have remained active and productive from the 1960s right up to the turn of the millenium.
Takeuchi has been executive board member of the International Society "Fetus as a Patient", president of the 9th Meeting of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, executive board member and Vice President of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, executive board member of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, Senior Member of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, trustee of the Japan Society of Neonatology and the Japan Society of Ultrasonics in Medicine.
He was also executive board member, auditor and President of the Japan Society of Biomedical Engineering in Obstetrics and Gynecology. More recently he was executive board member, auditor and then honorary member of the Japanese Institute of Three Dimensional Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is an editorial member of the journals: Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine and the Journal of Fetal and Maternal Investigation.
Professor Takeuchi retired from the Chair at the Juntendo University in 1999 when he was made Professor Emeritus of the University.
Read Professor Takeuchi's early paper "Ultrasound Diagnosis in Obstetrics and Gynecology" (in Japanese) Here.
A list of Professor Takeuchi's very early papers on ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology from 1963 to 1966 appears below (they are mainly in published in the Japanese language):1. Arima M, Takeuchi H: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 1st report. (Japanese) (Abstract of 110th Meeting of Tokyo District, Japanese Obstetrical and Gynecological Society) The Tokyo District Journal of the Japanese Obstetrical and Gynecological Society 1963;12:63
2. Mizuno S, Arima M, Takeuchi H: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 2nd report: Application of B-scope method in the gynecological field. (Japanese) Proceedings of 4th Meeting of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1963;4:29-30
3. Mizuno S, Arima M, Takeuchi H, Tsuchidate M: Study on the influence of ultrasound to pregnancy: Experimental study. (Japanese) Proceedings of 4th Meeting of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1963;4:7-8
4. Takeuchi H, Arima M, Mizuno S: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 3rd report: Improvement of transvaginal method. (Japanese) Proceedings of 5th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1964;5:35-36
5. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 4th report: Early diagnosis of pregnancy. (Japanese) Proceedings of 6th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1964;6:39-40
6. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 5th report: Ultrasonotomography. (Japanese) Proceedings of 6th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1964;6:41-42
7. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 6th report: Measurement of fetal head by contact sector scanning method. (Japanese) Proceedings of 6th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1964;6:45-46
8. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H: Influence of ultrasound radiation to the fetus - experimental study. (Japanese) Igaku-no-ayumi 1964;51:141-144
9. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 7th report: Diagnosis of placental location. (Japanese) Proceedings of 7th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1965;7:81-82
10. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: On the application of ultrasound diagnosis in obstetrics and gynecology, 8th report: Transrectal P.P.I. method in the gynecological field. (Japanese) Proceedings of 7th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1965;7:83-84
11. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: Application of ultrasono-tomography in obstetrics and gynecology, particularly on application of B-scope method. (Japanese) Acta Obstet Gynecol Jap 1966;18:27-34
12. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: Diagnostic application of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology. In Diagnostic Ultrasound. Grossman CC, Holmes JH, Joyner CJ, Purnell EW Eds, Plenum Press, New York, 1966:452-464
13. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: Diagnosis of abnormal pregnancy by ultrasono-tomography. (Japanese) Proceedings of 9th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1966;9:65-66
14. Mizuno S, Takeuchi H, Nakano K: Ultrasound diagnosis of malignant tumors of the uterus and adnexa. (Japanese) Proceedings of 9th Meetings of the Japan Society for Ultrasound in Medicine 1966;9:113-114
Portrait of Professor Takeuchi and the bottom image courtesy of Professor Takeuchi.