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| An American soldier is set to be the first person in the US to receive a penis transplant |
A WOUNDED military veteran is about to make history with a groundbreaking treatment.
Doctors at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland are to give a young solider, horrifically injured in a bomb blast, a penis transplant - in operation that's the first of its kind in the US.
The surgeons expect the organ, which was provided by a deceased donor, to be working in a matter of MONTHS.
Although the penis is not expected to be entirely fully functional, the soldier should be able to develop urinary function, sensation and even the ability to have sex.
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| Surgeons hope to provide penis transplants for 60 injured soldiers |
Dr W P Andrew Lee, the chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins said it wasn’t an unrealistic goal for the men receiving transplants to have the potential to father children.
John Hopkins University has given permission to doctors to provide 60 injured servicemen the chance to have transplants.
Results of the experimental penis transplant could set a precedent and the university will make a decision as to whether to continue offering the surgery to more men, with doctors optimistic about their success.
From 2001 to 2013, over 1,300 men - nearly all under the age of 35 - returned home from operation in Iraq and Afghanistan with pelvic injuries, according to the Department of Defense Trauma registry.
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| Over 1,300 American men returned back from service from 2001-2013 with pelvic injuries |
Penis transplants have only been attempted twice before - a failed attempt in China in 2006 and a successful surgery in South Africa in 2014. The man recently became a father after having his penis amputated from a botched circumcision.
The transplant itself takes around 12 hours and is incredibly meticulous, with the surgeon having to stitch together major blood vessels and nervous underneath a microscope.
If the penis ‘takes’ to the recipient, sexual function will be possible once the nerves grow in to the transplant - at a rate of about one inch a month.
Immediately after, for a few weeks, the men will use a catheter to drain urine. They will also need to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of their lives.
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| Doctors have highlighted the impact of pelvic injuries on servicemen |
The doctors highlight the psychological impact of these wounds during service.
Dr Lee, the chairman of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins said: “These genitourinary injuries are not things we hear about or read about very often.
“I think one would agree it is as devastating as anything that our wounded warriors suffer, for a young man to come home in his early 20s with the pelvic area completely destroyed.”
John Hopkins plans to cover the cost of the first transplant, estimated to be about £130,000 to £260,000 and have asked the US Defense Department to fund more operations.
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