A man who had lost a large part of his penis due to a rare form of cancer underwent the first transplant of this organ in the United States. The 3pm operation was a success.
The first penis transplant performed in the United States was carried out by a team from Boston General Hospital (Massachussets). “A success”, reports the New York Times in his columns of Monday, May 16, 2016. At 64 years old, the American banker, Thomas Manning, had been amputated because of penile cancer, a rare pathology.
And more than a week after this first American penis transplant which lasted 15 hours, the doctors believe that it is for the moment a success, while saying to themselves ” reasonably prudent ”.
“If all goes as planned, Thomas Manning will be able to urinate normally in a few weeks and have sexual activity in a few months,” said the surgeon at the head of the medical team involved. In addition, other patients are also awaiting a transplant, in particular following trauma to the penis, by accident or during military operations.
The 1st success recorded in South Africa
Indeed, genitourinary disorders are relatively common at the front, even if they remain taboo in the ranks of the army and within society. From 2001 to 2013, 1,367 American soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan were injured in the genitals, according to Pentagon figures cited by the daily. Almost all of them were under 35 and were affected by the explosion of a homemade bomb.
To help them, a program was announced in December 2015 by Prof. Arthur Burnett, from Johns Hopkins University, mainly for these soldiers who suffered severe genital injuries (86 between 2001 and 2013). The green light has been given to surgeons to carry out 60 experimental transplants of this type. If the trial proves successful, the operation could become a routine procedure
The transplanted penis will come from a deceased donor. And surgeons at Johns Hopkins hope they can restore urinary function and sensation in young men, as well as their ability to have sex within a few months of the operation. To date, two penis transplants have already taken place in the world. A success story in South Africa in 2014 on a young man who had had his penis amputated after a failed circumcision. Six months after receiving a new penis, his partner was indeed 4 months pregnant, according to the surgeon who performed the operation. He has since become a father. The first such operation, carried out in China in 2006, ended in failure.
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