‘Whole Again’: A Vet Maimed by an I.E.D. Receives a Transplanted Penis

[Susan]

It's expensive, but it is something that may be an option for some.

In a 14-hour operation, a young military veteran whose genitals were blown off by a bomb received an extraordinary transplant: a penis, scrotum and portion of the abdominal wall, taken from a deceased organ donor.

The surgery, performed last month at Johns Hopkins Hospital, was the most complex and extensive penis transplant to date, and the first performed on a combat veteran maimed by a blast.

Two other successful penis transplants have been performed — in South Africa in 2014 and at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 2016 — but they involved only the organ itself, not the scrotum or surrounding flesh. This latest operation transplanted a single piece of tissue that measured 10 inches by 11 inches and weighed four or five pounds.

They also note that this type of operation may be fully functional. "We're hopeful we can restore sexual function in terms of spontaneous erection and orgasm," Dr. Lee said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/health/soldier-penis-transplant-ied.html

[WolfNightV4X1]

Pretty neat, but would this ever be an option for surgeons on trans men to begin with? Seems like the target subjects are cisgender men...and as stated this is John Hopkin's hospital, which is pretty transphobic to start with.

If it was merely a matter of cost, just how much are we talking, is it payable in someone's lifetime?

[Susan]

$300,000-$400,000 and Hopkins has made concrete progress towards reformation.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/can-trans-people-trust-johns-hopkinss-new-clinic

[WolfNightV4X1]

Huh  Didnt know they now have a transgender clinic, and its always interesting to findthe discrimination was largely just one guy.

...that is quite a bit of money too, though. Costs as much as a house. Id still probably try to save, its certainly less than the figure someone else on another site, 800,000, yikes!

Theoretically, assuming this was all possible, supposedly this type of surgery only works for a cis man with a penile stump, if this worked for trans men more alteration would be required. Hey, its something! Wondering if this process will be perfected in our lifetime

[Corax]

I have heard of that and it is really great news that they are capable of doing that for men who have lost their penis and to give them back quality of living.



As far as I am informed and know though (correct me if I am wrong) penis transplants are not an option for transmen at all because they don't match the anatomy and transmen don't have the right 'connections' for it to work, unlike 'cis'-men.

The same with penises "grown" in laboratories! From what I have read those are "grown" from the remaining penis cells of the receiver of that transplant and it was particularly stated that it is not an option for transmen either.

Hence, the only methods available for transguys still seem to be phallo- and metoidioplasty for the foreseeable future.

[Susan]

I don't see why the surgery couldn't be done or adapted for transmen, but I am not a doctor. Basically by taking the organ and part of the abdominal wall they would have the attachments. After that it wold be a matter of blood supply which can be done, and nerve attachments or repositioning.