The devastation that results from a serious penile injury is hard to state. Until recently, if a man incurred an injury that led to the complete inability to reproduce or even urinate, there wasn't much that could be done for him. While reconstructive surgery is possible, if the penis is completely removed due to, say, penile cancer, a transplant would not be possible. Until now.
The first successful penile transplant in the United States JUST happened, and doctors are calling it a "landmark procedure." Doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston successfully attached a donor penis to Thomas Manning, a 64-year-old man who had his removed due to spreading penile cancer.
You have to hear about Thomas's story...
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The reports of the newest penis transplant come a year after a 21-year-old Cape Town man also underwent a successful penis transplant.
In fact, the recipient of the transplant is now expecting a child with his girlfriend. Not bad!
Meet Thomas Manning.
Three years before he was fortunate enough to be selected for the landmark procedure, Thomas lost his penis to cancer. He was selected to undergo the first penile transplant in the U.S.
In total, the surgery took 15 hours.
An interdisciplinary team of 50 surgeons and health care workers was chosen to perform the surgery, with specializations in urology, plastic surgery, and even psychiatry. Psychiatrists were brought in to help Thomas because a penile injury can have an enormous impact on someone's psyche, both in terms of embarrassment and an overall sense of self.
Here are Dr. Ko (left) and Cetrulo (right), the two who headed the operation.
The team of surgeons carefully performed the intricate attachment of the penis to Mr. Manning, a penis that came from a deceased donor.
Dr. Cetrulo explained to The New York Times that perfecting the procedure on civilians will help with transplants involving war veterans.
In an interview, he says that there are many veterans who, "feel they have no hope of intimacy or a sexual life." He continued saying that, "they can't even go to the bathroom standing up."
Years in advance, the medical team prepared for the transplant by practicing on multiple cadavers.
In fact, given that the surgery seemed to go so well, another is planned soon for a man who severely injured his penis in a car accident.
Thomas Manning is using the experience to give hope to other people with a serious genital injury.
In a statement, Thomas said that "today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries." He will most likely have to take anti-rejection medications for the rest of his life.
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