Surgeons in Vietnam have successfully performed the country's first penis transplant using an organ from a brain-dead donor, saving a 43-year-old man's sex life. The historic operation took place at the Viet Duc Friendship Hospital.
The recipient had previously undergone surgery to remove part of his penis at the same hospital. Although he could urinate normally after four years of recovery, his shortened penis caused difficulties in sexual activity and severely affected his mental health.
After a team of experts reviewed his health records and the ethics involved, he was approved for the pioneering procedure.
Details of the surgery
Associate professor Dr Nguyen Quang, director of the hospital's andrology centre, said: "In this transplant procedure, we reconstructed the anatomical structures of the penis, including the urethra, corpus spongiosum and corpora cavernosa, while simultaneously performing microsurgical anastomosis of minute arteries, veins and nerves." He added that the close integration of reconstructive and microsurgical techniques demanded exceptional precision to ensure graft viability and facilitate functional recovery.
Medics report that the patient is making good progress, with the surgical site healing well and no early complications detected, according to the Straits Times. Doctors are monitoring his condition while he continues medication and recovery.
Long-term outlook
Because the procedure involves complex tissue, experts warned that it will take time to fully evaluate the patient's erectile function and long-term risk of organ rejection.
Viet Duc Friendship Hospital director Dr Duong Duc Hung said: "This is the first penile transplant in Vietnam from a brain-dead donor." He noted that the surgical team made meticulous preparations, established protocols, studied international experience and coordinated across multiple specialities, including organ transplantation, andrology, microsurgery, anesthesiology, resuscitation, immunology and pathology.
Dr Hung added that the surgery marks a new milestone in Vietnamese surgery and confirms the medical capabilities of surgical teams in the country. The achievement offers hope for patients who have lost their penis due to trauma, accidents, or cancer. Penile transplants remain exceptionally rare globally, with medical literature showing only five other cases ever reported worldwide, the most recent in 2018.
