Penis transplantation
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Penis transplantation is a surgical transplant procedure in which a replacement penis, either one grown artificially (untested in humans) or from a deceased human donor (allograft), is transplanted onto a patient. In a similar fashion to other peripheral transplant procedures such as hand transplant and face transplant surgery, using a penis from a deceased donor is controversial because it is not necessary to ensure the life of the patient.
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[edit] Allotransplant procedure
The patient will have typically lost their penis, either through felonious assault, accidental injury or self-mutilation, or possibly have a birth defect causing disfigurement or total loss of the penis. The procedure was first performed successfully in September 2005 at a military hospital in Guangzhou, China. The patient, a 44 year old male, had sustained partial penis loss during an accident. The penis came from a 23 year old brain-dead male. Although successful, the patient suffered severe psychological trauma as a result of the procedure and later had the surgery reversed.
[edit] Lab grown penis
A possible alternative to the allotransplant is growing a penis artificially in a laboratory. Although not yet trialled in humans, in 2006 researchers succeeded in succesfully replacing a rabbits penis with one grown in a laboratory. The penises were grown on a matrix from the rabbit's own cells, and contained nerves and blood vessels allowing them to become fully functional.
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