Tri-Service
First Wounded Soldier To Receive Penis Transplant
A wounded soldier is to become one of the first people in the world to receive a penis transplant.
The first attempt, in China in 2006, was unsuccessful, but this was followed in 2014 by a successful operation in South Africa.
Now, an American man whose penis was removed because of cancer has received the country's first penis transplant, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
It's hoped the operation, which involves joining nerves and blood vessels under a microscope, could pave the way for other service personnel with genital injuries.
Thor Wold, who served as a US Marine medic in Iraq, told Reuters about servicemen's reactions to having suffered this type of injury:
"They would ask, 'Is everything OK down there, doc? My wife's at home and we're trying to have a baby when I get back."
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Maryland, are hoping an organ from a recently deceased man will be able to provide full function, including feeling, urination and sex. Permission would have to be gained from the donor's family.
The recipient is an unidentified US soldier who reportedly suffered severe injuries in an explosion in Afghanistan, with doctors currently looking for a good match in terms of age and skin colour.
The transplant does not involve the testes, where sperm are produced. This means any child fathered would be the recipient's genetic offspring rather than the donor's.
The loss of the penis has been argued to be one of the most emotionally traumatic injuries because of potential difficulties in fathering children, and feelings of identity and manhood.
Currently only wounded US veterans are being considered for the surgery, but it could eventually be performed on men with birth defects and transgender people.
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