Wounded soldier gets transplant hope
Tuesday April 24th, 2018
A surgical team has successfully performed a full transplant of the penis and scrotum on a wounded soldier, it has been announced.
The soldier was injured in Afghanistan and received the operation last month at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Maryland, USA.
The procedure – vascularised composite allotransplantation - lasted 14 hours and involved part of the abdominal wall but not the testicles, transplanted from a deceased donor, the surgeons announced.
Professor Andrew Lee, professor and director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said: "We are hopeful that this transplant will help restore near-normal urinary and sexual functions for this young man.”
The unnamed patient added: "It's a real mind-boggling injury to suffer, it is not an easy one to accept.
"When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal, a level of confidence as well. Confidence - like finally I'm okay now."
Tags: General Health | North America | Transplant
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