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World's first ever complete transplant of a penis and scrotum has successfully been carried out on an American soldier.
The delicate procedure was performed by a team of surgeons at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, after the military man was wounded by a bomb in Afghanistan.
The team said it used a penis, scrotum and partial abdominal wall transplanted from a deceased donor and are confident that the soldier will regain sexual function, which is impossible with penis reconstructions.
The 14-hour operation was performed by 11 surgeons on March 26th. The medics said the donor's testicles were not transplanted, due to ethical considerations.
"While extremity amputations are visible and resultant disability obvious," said Dr WP Andrew Lee, head of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Johns Hopkins University, during a telebriefing on Monday, "some war injuries are hidden and their impact not widely appreciated by others."
Dr Lee called genitalia wounds an "unspoken injury of war".
"In a 2014 symposium co-sponsored by Johns Hopkins titled 'Intimacy After Injury', we heard from the spouses, families, and caregivers of these wounded warriors about the devastating impact of genitourinary injuries on their identity, self-esteem and intimate relationships," he said.
"When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal like finally I'm okay now,"The soldier, who requested not to be named, said in a statement released by the university.
His injury resulted after he stepped on a hidden bomb in Afghanistan and experts said they expect he will be fully recovered between six to 12 months.
"It is our hope that such a life enhancing transplant will allow him to regain urinary and sexual function and lead a more normal life.It is also our goal to offer the procedure in the future to other suitable patients,"Dr Rick Redett, clinical director of the genitourinary transplant programme said.
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Wonder if it is functional
Hata wakikata kuna madakitari sasa
Bobit and Company, with branches in Nyeri aka Transformer-Bobitters of Nyeri...and unspoken injuries of households where maendeleo ya wanaume thrives...might have to think of another... I hope the transplants will not be beating nusu-mlingoti. I say reconsider Testis implants too for a complete job...
Thumbs up John Hopkins!
They say testicles were not transplanted do to ethical reason. Whose ethics applied here? To me transplanting a heart should have more ethical consideration than the testicles.My point being that one can comfortably live without testacles but not the heart.Yes I u understand that the testis provide sperm,but testis by themselves aren't worth much.My two sense.
Go Blue Jays! JHU is a fine institution. My kids have been patients there for several years and i have nothing but praise for the doctors and nurses and pretty much everyone there (except the parking attendants). The only issue is cost which makes it affordable without insurance. I keep wondering when Kenya will have a hospital of these caliber, to reduce the medical tourism by politicians and wealthy Kenyans. Again go Blue Jays! Mascot for JHU)