A solider wounded in an explosion will be the first person in the US to receive a penis transplant.
The patient, who has not been identified, lost most of his penis and sustained serious groin injuries in a bomb explosion while he was deployed overseas.
Media reports have suggested he was wounded while serving in Afghanistan.
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore will perform the surgery - the first transplant of its kind to take place at an American hospital.
Surgeons hope a donated organ from a recently deceased man will provide full function including urination, sensation and sex.
The surgery requires joining nerves and blood vessels under a microscope.
Experts at the hospital said they hope the procedure could pave the way for another 60 servicemen with genital injuries to benefit from the operation.
Doctors and advocates who work with wounded soldiers note that the loss of the penis is one of the most emotionally traumatic injuries because it affects a sense of identity and manhood, especially for men hoping to become fathers.
'When you meet these guys and you realize what they've given for the country, it makes a lot of sense,' Dr Richard Redett, a plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital who will help perform the operation, told Reuters.
The surgery could occur in the coming weeks.
Doctors are looking for a donor who is a good match in terms of age and skin color.
The donor's family will need to give permission for the penis to be removed.
There have been two penis transplants in the world to date.
The first in China in 2006 was unsuccessful, while the second in South Africa in 2014 was a success.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...oldier-soon-receive-U-S-penis-transplant.html
Gives new meaning to the Urban Dictionary term, "the stranger".
The patient, who has not been identified, lost most of his penis and sustained serious groin injuries in a bomb explosion while he was deployed overseas.
Media reports have suggested he was wounded while serving in Afghanistan.
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore will perform the surgery - the first transplant of its kind to take place at an American hospital.
Surgeons hope a donated organ from a recently deceased man will provide full function including urination, sensation and sex.
The surgery requires joining nerves and blood vessels under a microscope.
Experts at the hospital said they hope the procedure could pave the way for another 60 servicemen with genital injuries to benefit from the operation.
Doctors and advocates who work with wounded soldiers note that the loss of the penis is one of the most emotionally traumatic injuries because it affects a sense of identity and manhood, especially for men hoping to become fathers.
'When you meet these guys and you realize what they've given for the country, it makes a lot of sense,' Dr Richard Redett, a plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital who will help perform the operation, told Reuters.
The surgery could occur in the coming weeks.
Doctors are looking for a donor who is a good match in terms of age and skin color.
The donor's family will need to give permission for the penis to be removed.
There have been two penis transplants in the world to date.
The first in China in 2006 was unsuccessful, while the second in South Africa in 2014 was a success.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...oldier-soon-receive-U-S-penis-transplant.html
Gives new meaning to the Urban Dictionary term, "the stranger".
