Man, Who Is The First Penile Transplant Patient, Will Become Father
The first penile transplant patient, from South Africa, will soon become father, according to his doctors. His girlfriend is 4 months pregnant. This is the proof that the transplant works. The man, who lost his penis in a botched circumcision, is only 21 years old. His identity is unknown. Doctors performed the operation in December. Surgeons from the Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University performed a 9 hours long, operation, where a donated penis was attached to the patient.
Dr Van der Merwe said that he is very happy to hear that the penis works. He also said that this was their goal. He can urinate and have intercourse now. This is important for him, but it is also a milestone. This man had issues with his penis, not with his testicles, so doctors didn’t expect him to be infertile. The team, who performed the surgery, must analyze the results and review the case, in order to make this process available to other patients.
At the time when the patient lost his penis, he was only 18 years old. At that time, he was sexually active. He lost it in the botched circumcision and left with just 1 cm of his penis. During the surgery, doctors used techniques that were designed for a face transplant. They had to connect tiny nerves and blood vessels.
There were attempts of this procedure in several countries, including China. According to their results, the operation went well, but the penis was rejected later. South Africa has the biggest need for penis transplantation in the world. Hundreds boys die each year cause of ceremonies and serious customs.
