A team of surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), led by Curtis L. Cetrulo, Jr., MD, and Dicken S.C. Ko, MD, announced today that they have performed the nation’s first genitourinary reconstructive (penile) transplant. The 15-hour operation, which took place earlier this month, involved surgically grafting the complex microscopic vascular and neural structures of a donor organ onto the comparable structures of the recipient.
The patient, Thomas Manning, 64, of Halifax, Mass, continues to recover well, with blood flow established to the donor organ and no signs of bleeding, rejection or infection. While the patient is still early in the post-surgical healing process, his physicians say they are cautiously optimistic he will regain function that he lost in 2012 when a diagnosis of penile cancer led him to undergo a curative partial penectomy – or amputation of the penis.
Called a genitourinary vascularized composite allograft (GUVCA) transplant, this month’s landmark procedure represents the culmination of more than 3½ years of research and collaboration across multiple departments and divisions within the MGH – including Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Urology, Psychiatry, Infectious Disease, Nursing and Social Work – all of which are part of the MGH Transplant Center. Cetrulo and Ko together began researching the possibility of performing a GUVCA transplant in 2012, shortly after an MGH team led by Cetrulo completed its first hand transplant. Working closely with the New England Organ Bank, both surgeons developed key strategic surgical approaches aimed at helping patients with devastating genitourinary injuries.
To see the video report at CNN check out this link http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/16/health/first-u-s-penis-transplant/
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