CT Doctors Perform World’s First Successful Penile Transplant

Surgeons from the University of Stellenbosch (SU) and Tygerberg Hospital have performed the world’s first successful penile transplant in a ground-breaking operation, said the university in a statement on Friday.
The team of surgeons, led by Prof André van der Merwe, head of SU’s Division of Urology, performed the marathon nine-hour operation in December last year.
“South Africa remains at the forefront of medical progress,” said Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). “This procedure is another excellent example of how medical research, technical know-how and patient-centred care can be combined in the quest to relieve human suffering. It shows what can be achieved through effective partnerships between academic institutions and government health services.”
Van der Merwe was assisted by Prof Frank Graewe, head of the Division of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery at SU FMHS, Prof Rafique Moosa, head of the FMHS Department of Medicine, transplant coordinators, anaesthetists, theatre nurses, a psychologist, an ethicist and other support staff.
The patient, whose identity is being protected for ethical reasons, has made a full recovery and has regained all function in the newly transplanted organ.
“Our goal was that he would be fully functional at two years and we are very surprised by his rapid recovery,” says Van der Merwe.
“It’s a massive breakthrough. We’ve proved that it can be done – we can give someone an organ that is just as good as the one that he had,” added Graewe. “It was a privilege to be part of this first successful penis transplant in the world.”
The 21-year-old recipient’s penis had to be amputated three years ago, in order to save his life when he developed severe complications after a traditional circumcision. The procedure was part of a pilot study to develop a penile transplant procedure that could be performed in a typical South African hospital theatre setting.
“This is a very serious situation. For a young man of 18 or 19 years the loss of his penis can be deeply traumatic. He doesn’t necessarily have the psychological capability to process this. There are even reports of suicide among these young men,” said Van der Merwe.
“The heroes in all of this for me are the donor, and his family. They saved the lives of many people because they donated the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, skin, corneas, and then the penis.”
According to the university, planning and preparation for the study started in 2010. After extensive research Van der Merwe and his surgical team decided to employ some parts of the model and techniques developed for the first facial transplant.
“We used the same type of microscopic surgery to connect small blood vessels and nerves, and the psychological evaluation of patients was also similar. The procedure has to be sustainable and has to work in our environment at Tygerberg,” he said.
As part of the study, nine more patients will receive penile transplants.