The First Penis Transplant
March 6th, 2007 by 
Eric
I recently came across a series of articles detailing the worlds first penis transplant and was struck by how the story again reaffirms how important psychological issues can be in relation to sexual function.
The complex 15-hour microsurgery to attach the penis was performed in China by surgeons at Guangzhou General Hospital in September 2005. The penis had been donated by the parents of a 22-year-old brain-dead man. The recipient was a 44-year-old man, reported to have lost his penis through “an unfortunate traumatic accident”, leaving him with a small stump, unable to urinate or have sex normally.
Ten days after the operation, the recipient had been able to urinate. There had been no signs of the 10-centimeter (4-inch) organ being rejected by the recipient’s body. But surgeons said more cases and longer observation are needed to determine whether sexual sensation and function could be restored. However, it was the ethical and psychological challenges in this case which turned out to be even more paramount than the initial medical success.
The operation was successful yet the transplant was removed two weeks later. According to the chief surgeon, “The patient finally decided to give up the treatment because of the wife’s psychological rejection, as well as the swollen shape of the transplanted penis”.
Psychological issues are keenly important in transplant cases. According to medical reports there was a strong demand from both the patient and his wife for a transplant, and the operation was discussed again and again and approved by the hospital’s ethics committee yet the man and his wife were still inadequately prepared for the reality of living with a new appendage.
