Wounded soldier to receive first penis transplant in US

The US Armed Forces call on its troops to give their all in the name of defending their country - a call taken to painful extremes by one unnamed veteran who took "damage to his sexual organ" while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The New York Times reports that the young soldier, injured by a bomb blast, is to receive the first penis transplant to take place in the USA - an operation only successfully carried out once before to 21-year-old South African (who has since become a father).

A team of surgeons from from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore will attempt to attach the organ of a deceased donor to the young soldier, stitching together major blood vessels and nerves under a microscope. 

Should the operation prove a success, the transplanted penis will be able to carry out urinary functions, gain sensation and even restore the veteran's ability to have sex - though doctors are cautious to warn that this isn't guaranteed. 

While missing limbs are a more obvious indicator of the scars of war, the US Department of Defense Trauma Registry reported that from 2001 to 2013, 1,367 men in military service suffered wounds to the genitals in Iraq or Afghanistan. Should the operation prove a success, more injured service men may undergo the operation. 

And if all this hasn't got you crossing your legs in mild discomfort, spare a thought for patient of the first transplant: in 2006 a Chinese man was supplied a donor penis, only to have it removed two weeks later due to "severe psychological problems".

If you were to suffer genital injury, would you opt for a penis transplant? Let us know below.

[Via: New York Times]