World's first penile transplant patient has 'perfect package'

21 August 2017 - 05:43 By Dave Chambers
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Professor André van der Merwe
Professor André van der Merwe
Image: ADRIAN DE KOCK

Three years after he performed the world's first penis transplant, the urologist, dubbed "Dr Dick", says his patient has ended up with the perfect package.

Writing in The Lancet, Andre van der Merwe, a professor at the University of Stellenbosch, said: "Penile transplantation restored normal physiological functions in this recipient without major complications in the first 24 months."

Van der Merwe and his team performed the nine-hour operation at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town in December 2014 but announced it only three months later, by which time the recipient had already discovered his new organ was in full working order.

The man's penis had been amputated in 2011, when he was 18, after a botched traditional circumcision led to gangrene.

In his Lancet "case report within 24 months of follow-up", Van der Merwe said his team transplanted a penis from one cadaver to another as preparation, then recruited potential recipients for the pioneering operation.

"We screened [them] for both physical and psychological characteristics, including penile stump length and emotional suitability for the procedure," he said.

"A suitable donor became available and the penis was harvested. We surgically prepared the penile stump of the recipient and attached the penile graft.

"The recipient was discharged after one month and first reported satisfactory sexual intercourse one week later [despite advice to the contrary]. The recipient reported regular sexual intercourse from three months after the operation."

In December 2015 the Sunday Times reported the recipient and his wife had lost a baby at a late stage in the pregnancy.

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