Wounded soldier gets world's first penis transplant in U.S. operation

By Ian Simpson

 

FILE PHOTO - The John Hopkins Hospital is seen at a area near the downtown of Baltimore, Maryland November 4, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

(Reuters) - A soldier wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan has received the world's first complete penis and scrotum transplant, officials at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore said on Monday.

 

A team of nine plastic surgeons and two urological surgeons operated on the veteran, whose nationality was not disclosed, for 14 hours on March 26, the hospital said in a statement.

 

The team transplanted an entire penis, a scrotum without testicles and a partial abdominal wall from a deceased donor. The wounded man, who requested anonymity, has recovered from the surgery and is expected to be discharged from the hospital this week.

 

“We are hopeful that this transplant will help restore near-normal urinary and sexual functions for this young man,” Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, the head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in the statement.

 

The soldier called his injury from an improvised explosive device "mind-boggling" and difficult to accept. Details of the incident were not released.

 

“When I first woke up (after surgery), I felt finally more normal ... (with) a level of confidence as well. Confidence ... like finally I’m OK,” he said in the statement.

 

Johns Hopkins surgeons had performed the first U.S. double-arm transplant of two arms on a wounded service member in December.

A transplant in which a body part or tissue is transferred from one individual to another is called vascularised composite allotransplantation. The surgery involves transplanting skin, muscles and tendons, nerves, bone and blood vessels.

 

Lee said that although it is possible to reconstruct a penis using tissue from other body parts, a prosthesis implant would be necessary to achieve an erection, and that comes with a much higher rate of infection.

 

In addition, service personnel often do not have enough viable tissue from other parts of their bodies to use because of other injuries, he said.

 

(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-24

there is hope for the tomboys & plastic surgeons of thailand now,

and a stiffer competition for already men

"Strapadicktome" perhaps.

Interesting and understandable that he wanted it done. But it doesn't actually function. So this young man basically has the equipment of a very old man that needs an implant to be erect. Details weren't given either about sexual pleasure and orgasms. In any case a tragic injury and I guess this is about as good as it gets in this situation. 

2 hours ago, poanoi said:

there is hope for the tomboys & plastic surgeons of thailand now,

and a stiffer competition for already men

If you really want or need, you can get an erection implant thingie too. Don't be jealous!

I hope he had a choice, I'll take that huge one over there.

regards worgeordie

I wondered where that had gone

Total respect and awe for this fantastic ground breaking surgery,  11 surgeons took 14 hours. A Vet who was cowardly injured by an IED has been rebuilt on the operating table.

Instead of the usual ignorant and senseless posts on here, we should all be grateful for the huge progress of surgery, it could be one of us next

20 minutes ago, DipStick said:

Total respect and awe for this fantastic ground breaking surgery,  11 surgeons took 14 hours. A Vet who was cowardly injured by an IED has been rebuilt on the operating table.

Instead of the usual ignorant and senseless posts on here, we should all be grateful for the huge progress of surgery, it could be one of us next

since when did mines or other remote bombs become cowardly ?

it is a contemporary weapon

2 minutes ago, poanoi said:

since when did mines or other remote bombs become cowardly ?

it is a contemporary weapon

Set by those who don’t want to face their adversaries, I consider that cowardly

9 minutes ago, DipStick said:

Set by those who don’t want to face their adversaries, I consider that cowardly

the mana o mana warfare died with the rifle,

today is all about mugging, often with drones remotely controlled,

it has become far and away too lethal to expose yourself

1 hour ago, BigBadGeordie said:

"Strapadicktome" perhaps.

I believe the official terminology would be "stitchadichtomy." 

Hope he doesn't tug too hard and pull it off before the stitches are set.

Edited April 24, 20188 yr by ThreeEyedRaven

7 minutes ago, poanoi said:

the mana o mana warfare died with the rifle,

today is all about mugging, often with drones remotely controlled,

it has become far and away too lethal to expose yourself

And your point is ? The military man who had his manhood blown off and the thousands with missing limbs were stupid to expose themselves . I wonder what military experience you have apart from computer games ?

If I suffered from an injury like this I think I'd just become a ladyboy. Done enough sh**ging anyway, be interesting to see what the other side looked like.

The team transplanted an entire penis, a scrotum without testicles and a partial abdominal wall from a deceased donor.

 

 That obviously tops the penis whitening from Bangkok. 

4 minutes ago, nausea said:

If I suffered from an injury like this I think I'd just become a ladyboy. Done enough sh**ging anyway, be interesting to see what the other side looked like.

  If you want to know what the other side looks like, Google it. 

Well hung men would be hunted down like elephants if this works out OK  !

8 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Well hung men would be hunted down like elephants if this works out OK  !

Or did you mean to say Men hung like Elephants will be hunted down.........

4 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

Or did you mean to say Men hung like Elephants will be hunted down.........

 

.... erm... Just sayin'.... 

 

 

15 hours ago, DipStick said:

Set by those who don’t want to face their adversaries, I consider that cowardly

I agree 100% CIA/ military operators of Reaper drones based in California sending anonymous death from above are cowardly. I vote for cage fighting to the death.  Hand to hand with knives. Two men enter one man leaves. Manly stuff. 

15 hours ago, DipStick said:

And your point is ? The military man who had his manhood blown off and the thousands with missing limbs were stupid to expose themselves . I wonder what military experience you have apart from computer games ?

He didn't say that anyone was "stupid to expose themselves", those were your words!  

Now all the little dong European guys are asking,"Do they do extensions?"

2 hours ago, car720 said:

First thing on his bucket list.

A flight to Bangkok.  

Only if he was like you and could only find use for a sexual outlet here and no other place.

 

I'm still curious about what this new penis is all about. It was already stated it won't get erect without an artificial implant. That's bad enough, but does anyone know if he will have sexual pleasure and feeling of orgasm? If not, it's more or less just COSMETIC, isn't it? 

 

Of course even an only cosmetic organ would be a huge improvement over nothing there. Reminds me of a funny line on the t.v. show Veep from a middle aged character who referred to his penis as only ORNAMENTAL. 

Edited April 25, 20188 yr by Jingthing

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

I'm still curious about what this new penis is all about. It was already stated it won't get erect without an artificial implant. That's bad enough, but does anyone know if he will have sexual pleasure and feeling of orgasm? If not, it's more or less just COSMETIC, isn't it? 

 

Of course even an only cosmetic organ would be a huge improvement over nothing there. Reminds me of a funny line on the t.v. show Veep from a middle aged character who referred to his penis as only ORNAMENTAL. 

In the article the surgeons state that they are hopeful the transplant will restore near NORMAL sexual and urinary function. They said that an implant is needed for a penis constructed from a patients OWN tissue but that the chances of infection with an inplant are high. They didn't say an implant was necessary for the transplanted organ.

20 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Interesting and understandable that he wanted it done. But it doesn't actually function. So this young man basically has the equipment of a very old man that needs an implant to be erect. Details weren't given either about sexual pleasure and orgasms. In any case a tragic injury and I guess this is about as good as it gets in this situation. 

 

This is not what the article states....

 

“We are hopeful that this transplant will help restore near-normal urinary and sexual functions for this young man,”

 

Time will tell

 

I think the article is very vague about what level of sexual function this guy can really expect which is why I am curious about it.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

21 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I hope he had a choice, I'll take that huge one over there.

regards worgeordie

So many jokes, don't know where to start!  I wonder if they gave him a catalogue of stiffs to choose from?

20 hours ago, DipStick said:

And your point is ? The military man who had his manhood blown off and the thousands with missing limbs were stupid to expose themselves . I wonder what military experience you have apart from computer games ?

His point obviously sailed well above your head.... and... he was probably being way to polite in making it.

 

Now... let’s see if I can put it simpler.... this poor guy got his junk blown off by a bomb, which is a common war usage tool, like a gun, that kills people from a distance.

 

other bombs of note include “big boy” in 1945, cluster bombs in Vietnam ( let’s not talk about brave napalm) and MOABs as seen in Afghanistan, or my favorite... a drone strike! .... all deployed by the same nation.... is that then a cowardly nation? (sorry American friends... it was an easier paragraph to write than discussing Greek fire and armored cavalry attacking bare footed peasant armies)

 

lol.... one could call any encounter where one side has an advantage, either cowardly or bullying.... Only a coward brings a gun to a knife fight, right?

 

anyway.... I hope this guy has many many happy encounters with his new toy.

Edited April 25, 20188 yr by farcanell

Hope it works out for the Veteran involved and that there are no rejection symptoms. (No pun intended)
In any case, better than being killed, I think.