Groundbreaking penis transplant a success

  • 02/06/2016
Groundbreaking penis transplant a success

The first US recipient of a penis transplant has left hospital, three-and-a-half weeks after the operation.

Doctors have said the man is recovering well, blood flow looks good and there has so far been no signs of rejection, The New York Times reported.

Thomas Manning, 64, needed the transplant after his penis was removed in 2012 because of cancer. His new penis was given by a deceased donor and was attached during a 15 hour operation at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Curtis L. Cetrulo and the director of the hospital's urology program Dr Dicken Ko said the two main objectives were to make Mr Manning's genitals look natural and for him to be able to urinate.

"He's standing up and he's aiming, just like the good old days," Dr Ko told The New York Times.

"He's doing great," said Dr Cetrulo.

"So far, so good. We're very pleased."

Both doctor hope sexual function will also be possible -- a process that involves nerve regeneration to occur over the coming months.

Mr Manning will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life to ensure his body does not see the appendage as foreign.

The surgery was experimental and part of a research program to benefit war veterans as well as cancer patients.

Another patient who suffered burns during a car accident will receive a transplant when a matching donor is found, Dr Cetrulo said.

Newshub.