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User ID: 65330616 Canada 03/15/2015 08:57 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Doctors Announce World's First Successful Penis Transplant A South African surgical team has just announced the world’s first successful penile transplant. On December 11, 2014, a young man received a donor’s penis during a nine-hour procedure performed at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town. Now, three months after, the transplanted organ is fully functioning -- for sex and for urination -- though full sensation may take a bit longer. "Our goal was that he would be fully functional at two years and we are very surprised by his rapid recovery," team leader Andre van der Merwe of Stellenbosch University says in a statement. The sexually active 21-year-old recipient will now be able to have children if he chooses to. Three years ago, he lost all but one centimeter of his penis when complications arose during a ritual circumcision -- which members of the Xhosa group often undergo. "There is a greater need in South Africa for this type of procedure than elsewhere in the world," Van der Merwe adds, "as many young men lose their penises every year due to complications from traditional circumcision." According to previous estimates, as many as 250 penile amputations occur across the country every year. Con't @ [ link to www.iflscience.com] Follow me on Twitter: @RussellScott202 |