Penis transplantation is a chance for many men to return to normal life. Thanks to a penis transplant, the functions of the urinary and reproductive systems can be restored. This means that a man may even become a father after a penile transplant. What is a penis transplant? What conditions must be met to be eligible for surgery?

Penis transplantis an operation that was performed for the first time in the world several years ago. Technically it worked, but there was a rejection of the authority. It was not until December 11, 2014 that the surgeons from the hospital in Tygerberg together with doctors from the Stellenbosch University in South Africa performed the first successful penile transplant, after which the functions of the urinary and reproductive systems were restored. The recipient was a 21-year-old man who lost his penis at the age of 18 as a result of complications following a ritual circumcision ceremony.

Penis Transplant - Indications

Circumcision is performed on boys during adolescence in many countries in Africa. Hundreds of them develop complications that lead to mutilation. It is estimated that South Africa has arguably the most demanding patient in the world for penile transplantation.

Penile transplantation can also be performed on men who neededamputation of the penisdue to cancer (penile cancer) and erectile dysfunction. It is also a solution for men who lost a penis in an accident, during a war or were born with underdeveloped genitals.

The basic condition for qualifying for the procedure is the intact of the nerves, blood vessels and urethra within the pelvis.

Penis transplant - what is it?

During the operation, you need to precisely connect blood vessels and nerves, which is not easy because the first ones are only 1.5 mm in diameter.

Thanks to a penis transplant, the functions of the urinary and reproductive systems can be restored - the man can freely urinate, achieve an erection and experience an orgasm with ejaculation.

Therefore, South African doctors used the microsurgical technique of joining blood vessels and nerve fibers, which is used in face transplantation. Nerves and blood vessels after surgerygradually rebuild and grow in size.

The patient regains feeling in the penis after some time. Similarly with the functions of the urinary and reproductive systems. South African doctors estimated the recovery time for the organ to be fully functional for two years, but for the first man in the world with a successful penis transplant, it was much shorter, because after just 3 months after the surgery, he made great progress in rehabilitation.

After the procedure, patients take immunosuppressants for the rest of their lives to prevent transplant rejection.

You can become a father after a penis transplant

A man after a penis transplant can have children. In June 2015, it was announced that a patient who underwent penile transplantation in 2014 would become a father. This is the ultimate proof that the operation was successful.

You can transplant donor penises and … grown in the laboratory

Penises for transplantation may come not only from donors, but also from the laboratory. In 2014, researchers from the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (USA) announced that 6 penises that they had grown were ready for transplantation. Experts are hopeful because tests on rabbits after penile transplantation were successful. All the animals attempted to mate, eight ejaculated and four sired. How were penises grown? First, scientists had to obtain an organ from a donor and prepare it properly. as a result of this process, only a collagen scaffold remains from the penis, on which cells from the recipient's arm are placed (to minimize the risk of transplant rejection). These cells multiply, and when the scaffolding is full of them, the penis is ready.

Category:

Male diseases