The world’s first penis and scrotum transplant was recently performed by US doctors.
The world’s first penis transplant happened back in 2015 in South Africa to a man who’d had a botched circumcision. Then, the U.S.’s first successful penis transplant happened in 2016 at Massachusetts General Hospital with more than 50 doctors being involved. Now, the world’s first penis and scrotum transplant happened in the United States for a man who deeply deserved it.
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine conducted the surgery for around 14 hours on Tuesday and transplanted an entire penis, a scrotum, and parts of an abdominal wall from a deceased patient to a living one.
Though the surgery was a success and the patient is expected to have a mostly functional penis, the living patient will be unable to reproduce. Transplanting testicles were considered but ultimately voted against due to ethical concerns.
As for the living patient, he has asked to remain anonymous. That said, its been shared that he was an military soldier who survived an IED blast in Afghanistan.
The man is currently in recovery but is doing well. He should be released this week, according to a press release from the school.
“It is our hope that such a life changing transplant will allow [the patient] to regain urinary and sexual function and lead a normal life,” said Dr. Richard Redett, an associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins, to the Baltimore Sun.
As for the patient himself, he says he’s incredibly grateful.
"It's a real mind-boggling injury to suffer; it is not an easy one to accept," he said, according to the press release. "When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal … [with] a level of confidence as well. Confidence … like finally I'm OK now."
h/t: The Independent
