Thomas Manning Receives First U.S. Penis Transplant

Thomas Manning became the first man to undergo a penis transplant in the United States at Massachusetts General Hospital earlier this month.

Thomas Manning Gets First U.S. Penis Transplant

Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital announced that they performed the 15-hour penis transplant procedure this month, reported CNN. It involved a team of over 50 surgeons, doctors and nurses who worked to connect a donor penis to Manning, who had his penis amputated after he was diagnosed with penile cancer in 2012.

The surgery involves “surgically grafting the complex microscopic vascular and neural structures of a donor organ onto the comparable structures of the recipient.”

According to Dr. Dicken Ko, director of Mass Gen’s Regional Urology Program, the primary goal of the surgery was to make the genitalia appear natural. The secondary goal was to achieve urinary function. It was also hoped that Manning’s penis transplant would have sexual function.

Manning is still healing from surgery, but, at this time, doctors are pleased to note that there are no signs of rejection of the transplant. In order to ensure that his penis transplant remains functioning, Manning will have to take immunosupressing drugs for the rest of his life.

In a statement, Manning expressed his thanks for being the fortunate recipient of the milestone surgery as well as his hope that the surgery will soon be made more widely available for men in the military who suffer genital injuries in battle.

“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.

The first-ever penis transplant was performed in Cape Town, South Africa in 2014. The patient went on to regain full urinary and reproductive functions.