Soldier who lost his genitals in blast to receive transplant from dead donor in world first

USA: A soldier whose genitals were badly wounded in Afghanistan will be the first serviceman to be given a penis by a deceased organ donor.

The military man was injured serving in the Middle East country, according to reports, and lost function of his penis as a result.

Now, doctors at Johns Hopkins University are planning to undertake a revolutionary operation to transplant a dead man's penis onto the US veteran.

This could pave the way for 60 other injured servicemen to undergo the procedure.

Dr Richard Redett, a plastic surgeon at the hospital who will help with the operation, told Reuters: "When you meet these guys and you realize what they've given for the country, it makes a lot of sense."

Doctors hope the organ, which would be donated from a recently deceased man, will give the patient all the normal functions of a penis including sensation, urination and sexual capability.

This would involve skilled surgeons connecting nerves and blood vessels under a microscope.

They are still looking for a suitable donor in terms of age and skin colour and would require permission from the donor's family.

Veteran Thor Wold, who works as an advocate for injured squaddies, said keeping their penis is one of the first things on an injured serviceman's mind.

He told Reuters: "They would ask, 'Is everything OK down there, doc? My wife's at home and we're trying to have a baby when I get back.'"

The procedure would be the third penis transplant to be attempted. The first, in Guangzhou, China, was unsuccessful after the patient asked for it to be removed.

But the second, in South Africa, was a success and the man has since fathered a child.

The surgery doesn't involve the transplant of the testes, where sperm is made, so the receiver would have their own biological offspring.

It's thought the surgery, if a success, could benefit not only veterans but others who have injured their genitals, as well as transgender men.