Surgeons in Massachusetts General Hospital have performed the first U.S.
penis transplant on 64 year old Thomas Manning who had his penis
amputated after he was diagnosed with penile cancer in 2012.
The procedure performed on May 8 and May 9, described by the doctors as a
"surgical milestone," is called a gentitourinary vascularized composite
allograft, or GUVCA and involves 'surgically grafting the complex
microscopic vascular and neural structures of a donor organ onto the
comparable structures of the recipient.
According to the hospital surgeons connected the
intricate vascular and nerve structures of a donor penis with those of
the 64-year-old transplant recipient. The surgeons said their goals were
to reconstruct the genitalia giving it a natural appearance and to
re-establish urinary and possibly sexual function.
Doctors said there are no signs of bleeding, rejection or infection and are cautiously optimistic that he will regain function.
"Today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for
others who have suffered genital injuries, particularly for our service
members who put their lives on the line and suffer serious damage as a
result," Manning said in a statement provided by the hospital. He also
expressed gratitude to his family and his medical team, as well as to
the family of the donor.
"We are hopeful that these reconstructive techniques will allow us to
alleviate the suffering and despair of those who have experienced
devastating genitourinary injuries and are often so despondent they
consider taking their own lives," said Dr. Curtis L. Cetrulo, a plastic
and reconstructive surgeon.
This is the first time such a surgery was happening in the U.S, the
first time such a surgery was successfully carried out in the world was
in December 2014 at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.
Source: CNN