Doctors perform first U.S. penis transplant

Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital performed the first U.S. penis transplant, they said Monday, calling it a "landmark procedure."
Thomas Manning, 64, is recovering well after the 15-hour procedure performed
earlier this month, according to the hospital. Manning, of Halifax, Massachusetts, had his penis amputated after he was diagnosed with penile cancer in 2012.

The procedure, described by the doctors as a "surgical milestone," is called a gentitourinary vascularized composite allograft, or GUVCA.

It involves "surgically grafting the complex microscopic vascular and neural structures of a donor organ onto the comparable structures of the recipient.

Put another way, "surgeons connected the intricate vascular and nerve structures of a donor penis with those of the 64-year-old transplant recipient," the hospital said. The surgeons said their goals were to reconstruct the genitalia giving it a natural appearance and to re-establish urinary and possibly sexual function.
Although Manning is still healing from the surgery, his doctors said there are no signs of bleeding, rejection or infection and are cautiously optimistic that he will regain function.

"Today I begin a new chapter filled with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries, particularly for our service members who put their lives on the line and suffer serious damage as a result," Manning said in a statement provided by the hospital. He also expressed gratitude to his family and his medical team, as well as to the family of the donor.