A successful total penis and scrotum transplant, the first of its kind in the world, was performed by a Johns Hopkins' reconstructive surgery team. The team that performed the first bilateral arm transplant in US for a wounded warrior has now successfully performed the total penis and scrotum transplant in a war veteran who sustained injuries in Afghanistan.
Many soldiers returning from combat bear visible scars, or even lost limbs, caused by blasts from improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. However, some servicemen also return with debilitating hidden injuries -- the loss of all or part of their genitals.
Kidney Transplantation
Since the early times, the novel idea of transplanting tissues and other body parts from one organism to the other has captured the imagination of successive generations.
‘The entire penis, scrotum (without testicles) and partial abdominal wall was transplanted from a deceased donor onto a young war veteran by a Johns Hopkins reconstructive surgery team. The transplant will help restore near-normal urinary and sexual functions in the recipient.’
Tweet it Now
"We are hopeful that this transplant will help restore near-normal urinary and sexual functions for this young man," says W.P. Andrew Lee, M.D., professor and director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
A team of nine plastic surgeons and two urological surgeons was involved in the 14-hour surgery on March 26. They transplanted from a deceased donor the entire penis, scrotum (without testicles) and partial abdominal wall.
![Bone Marrow Transplantation]( "Bone Marrow Transplantation")
Preferred Term is Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In this stem cell from bone marrow are injected into a recipient after treating them with growth factor.
"It's a real mind-boggling injury to suffer, it is not an easy one to accept," says the recipient war veteran who wishes to remain anonymous. "When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal... [with] a level of confidence as well. Confidence... like finally I'm okay now," he says. He has recovered from the surgery and is expected to be discharged from the hospital this week.
While it's possible to reconstruct a penis using tissue from other parts of the body, says Lee, a prosthesis implant would be necessary to achieve an erection, and that comes with a much higher rate of infection. Additionally, due to other injuries, servicemen often don't have enough viable tissue from other parts of their bodies to work with.
This type of transplant, where a body part or tissue is transferred from one individual to another, is called vascularized composite allotransplantation. The surgery involves transplanting skin, muscles and tendons, nerves, bone and blood vessels. As with any transplant surgery, tissue rejection is a concern. The patient is put on a regimen of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection. Lee's team has developed an immune modulation protocol aimed at minimizing the number of these drugs needed to prevent rejection.
Source: Eurekalert
Bone Marrow Transplantation
Preferred Term is Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In this stem cell from bone marrow are injected into a recipient after treating them with growth factor.
"It's a real mind-boggling injury to suffer, it is not an easy one to accept," says the recipient war veteran who wishes to remain anonymous. "When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal... [with] a level of confidence as well. Confidence... like finally I'm okay now," he says. He has recovered from the surgery and is expected to be discharged from the hospital this week.
While it's possible to reconstruct a penis using tissue from other parts of the body, says Lee, a prosthesis implant would be necessary to achieve an erection, and that comes with a much higher rate of infection. Additionally, due to other injuries, servicemen often don't have enough viable tissue from other parts of their bodies to work with.
This type of transplant, where a body part or tissue is transferred from one individual to another, is called vascularized composite allotransplantation. The surgery involves transplanting skin, muscles and tendons, nerves, bone and blood vessels. As with any transplant surgery, tissue rejection is a concern. The patient is put on a regimen of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection. Lee's team has developed an immune modulation protocol aimed at minimizing the number of these drugs needed to prevent rejection.
Source: Eurekalert
Liver Transplantation
Liver transplantation is a surgical option for the treatment of liver failure where the diseased liver is replaced with a healthy one.
Advertisement
 Uterus Transplantation / Womb Transplantation - Advantage and DisadvantagesLearn more about uterus or womb transplantation. Its indications, types, complications, advantages, disadvantages and scientific implications. |
Recommended Readings
Latest Organ Donation News
Tamilnadu to implement state honors for last rites of Organ Donors in the state- a welcome move
In a historic surgical achievement, U.S. medical professionals successfully transplanted a pig's heart into an end-stage cardiovascular disease patient.
Groundbreaking study advocates neonatal kidney transplantation as the answer to the organ shortage crisis, shedding light on the challenges faced by families.
Two people in the US, who underwent lung transplantation, have been infected with a deadly bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As per the Ministry, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will initiate the organ donation pledge at Agra's GIC Ground, UP.
