The first penis transplant in the United States was performed by surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital earlier this month, according to reports, this groundbreaking procedure was performed on a 64 year old patient who had to get his penis removed due to cancer. The procedure is being hailed as groundbreaking because it can also help other cancer patients, accident victims, and injured veterans.
The transplant was made possible as the penis came from a deceased donor. The recipient, Thomas Manning, should be able to urinate normally within a few weeks if no problems are detected after the transplant. Doctors say that he will regain sexual functions within a few months.
Reconstructive surgeon Curtis L. Cetrulo led this operation. He tells the New York Times that even though the transplant has been completed successfully, “it’s uncharted waters for us,” and that the team is cautiously optimistic about the results.
The procedure lasted some 15 hours and cost between $50,000 to $75,000 which was paid by the hospital. However, it wasn’t the first penis transplant ever performed. Similar procedures have been performed back in 2006 in China and in South Africa just two years ago.
For now, the Massachusetts General Hospital is going to reserve this procedure for trauma and cancer patients only. Surgeons at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine are also working on doing a similar procedure on a veteran who was injured in a bomb blast while deployed in Afghanistan.
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