First Penile Transplant Completed Successfully

The world’s first penile transplant reconstructed the amputated penis of a 21-year old South African who developed severe complications after a traditional tribal circumcision.

Researchers at Stellenbosch University (SU; South Africa;), and Tygerberg Hospital (Cape Town, South Africa) completed the operation in nine hours on December 11, 2014. The patient, whose identity remains protected for ethical reasons, has made a full recovery, and has regained all urinary and reproductive functions in the transplanted organ. The operation was part of a pilot study to develop a standardized penile transplant procedure that could be performed in a typical South African hospital theatre setting. As part of the pilot, nine more patients will receive penile transplants.

Thousands of teenage boys from the South African Xhosa tribe engage in a secretive rite of passage in the Eastern Cape, in which they spend up to a month in seclusion where they study, undergo circumcision by a traditional surgeon, and apply white clay to their bodies. But while many initiation schools are officially sanctioned, others are unregulated. And although there are no formal records on the number of penile amputations per year due to failed traditional circumcision, it is estimated there are as many as 250 such cases per year across the country.

“There is a greater need in South Africa for this type of procedure than elsewhere in the world, as many young men lose their penises every year due to complications from traditional circumcision,” said lead surgeon Prof. André van der Merwe, MD, head of SU's division of urology. “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.”

“We used the same type of microscopic surgery [as in facial transplant] 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,” concluded Prof. Van der Merwe. “This procedure could eventually also be extended to men who have lost their penises from penile cancer or as a last-resort treatment for severe erectile dysfunction due to medication side effects.”

Related Links:
Stellenbosch University
Tygerberg Hospital