Physical Wellness

First US Penis Transplant Patient Goes Home; Surgery Successful?

By Mariel Peralta | Update Date: Jun 03, 2016 06:00 AM EDT

Thomas Manning, 64, from Massachusetts, left the hospital this week after receiving the first penis transplant in the US. Manning received two more surgeries following the primary 15-hour transplant and says he can use his new organ to regularly urinate without any problems.

First Penis Transplant in the US Successful?

The doctors say that Manning is expected to recover well. There is good blood flow to the transplanted organ indicating that the patient's body is accepting the transplant with no signs of rejection. Furthermore, Manning also said that his new body part is healing.

"Everything seems to be healing," Manning said, as reported by the New York Times. "Everything's fine. It's going to get better, too."

The doctors who oversaw the penis transplant operation aim to restore the sexual function of the organ via nerve regeneration. With Manning taking anti-rejection drugs every day, they hope that the basic functions of the transplanted organ will return. However, reproduction will not be possible yet as the patient does not have testes yet.

Manning had his penis amputated after being diagnosed with penile cancer in 2012. He was emotional when he woke up after the surgery when he looked under the bandages of his new still healing organ, according to Daily Mail. Manning has gone home to Halifax with his mother and a relative.

Penis Transplant to Benefit Wounded Veterans and Penile Cancer Patients

The penis transplant is an experimental operation that doctors believe will benefit wounded veterans and other survivors of penile cancer. According to Telegraph, the reconstructive surgery will hopefully help those who lost their penis to injuries, cancer or accidents live a better quality of life. If Manning's operation becomes a full success, the possibility of penis transplants becoming a standard might come true.

Manning is the third person to receive a penis transplant in the world. The first was a Chinese man in 2005, followed by a man from South Africa in 2014.

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