Johns Hopkins University performs world's first penis and scrotum transplant
Doctors at the US-based Johns Hopkins University have successfully performed the first total penis and scrotum transplant in the world. The patient was a young US serviceman who lost his genitals as part of the injuries he sustained in Afghanistan. "We are hopeful that this transplant will help restore near-normal urinary and sexual functions for this young man," Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee said.
The surgery took 14 hours in which nine plastic surgeons and two urological specialists transplanted a deceased donor's entire penis and scrotum (without the testicles) onto the young soldier. It also included the transplantation of a partial abdominal wall. The surgery was undertaken by the same team that earlier performed the country's first bilateral arm transplant. The recovering patient will be discharged this week.
"It's a real mind-boggling injury to suffer, it is not an easy one to accept. When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal... [with] a level of confidence as well. Confidence... like finally I'm okay now," the patient said.
This kind of a transplant, where a body part is transferred from another individual, is called vascularized composite allotransplantation. It involves transplanting skin, muscles, tendons, nerves, bone, and blood vessels. A common transplantation alternative would have been using the patient's own tissues from other body parts to reconstruct a penis. However, that requires a prosthetic implant to achieve erections and can introduce infection.
Notably, the first penis transplant in the US was successfully performed in 2016. In another first, a woman with a transplanted uterus gave birth in the country last year.
