Prof. Kazuo Maeda, inventor of the Doppler fetal actocardiograph, has passed away at the age of 101.
Japanese obstetrician, gynecologist and educator, Kazuo Maeda, was an ISUOG Fellow for 30 years. In 1989, Prof. Maeda was a part of ‘the group’ of founding members of ISUOG, amongst other leading experts in the field of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology. He played a key role in the establishment of the first ever World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology and ISUOG’s flagship journal, Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (UOG).
One of Prof. Maeda’s most notable achievements for the field of obstetrics was his invention of the Doppler fetal actocardiograph in 1984. This allowed for simultaneous tracing of fetal heart rate (FHR) and fetal movement signals on the monitoring chart, a revolutionary step forward in the monitoring of the fetus through ultrasound.
“Prof. Maeda was a quietly extraordinary presence for several generations of Japanese obstetricians. Even into his late nineties his curiosity remained undimmed — he would still ask the sharpest questions in the room about fetal physiology. He believed deeply that technology must always serve the unborn child, and as one of ISUOG's founding members, he insisted from the very beginning that this vision must be a truly global one. We will miss him greatly.”
– Prof. Ritsuko Pooh, ISUOG Trustee and Ambassador to Asia.