Thomas Manning, 64, of Halifax, Mass., is the first person in the U.S. to undergo a penis transplant, following a 15-hour operation that spanned May 8 and 9.
Research leading up to the procedure took more than three and a half years, according to experts at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where the surgery was performed. Thus far, Mr. Manning, who lost most of his penis to cancer in 2012, is recovering well with blood flow established to the organ and no signs of infection or rejection.
The three goals of the surgery, technically called a genitourinary vascularized composite allograft, are to reconstruct genitalia to a natural appearance, re-establish urinary function and potentially achieve sexual function, according to the hospital. Only one other penis transplant has been successful, and the recipient of that surgery was able to father a child.
"These proof-of-principle cases will help establish the techniques used in this procedure and will forge the path to future treatment of patients with significant pelvic and genitourinary tissue loss related to cancer, trauma or infection," Dicken S.C. Ko, MD, who directs the MGH Urology Regional Program and co-led the surgery, said in a statement. "We are delighted to have taken the first steps to help those patients who have suffered silently for far too long."