Helios University Hospital Wuppertal: A new attitude to life through penoid reconstruction
Penoid surgery is an innovative medical procedure that aims to improve the sexual function and self-confidence of those affected. The treatment story of a 63-year-old patient shows how the operation can have a positive impact on his attitude to life.
"Losing your best part is a huge blow to your self-esteem - I really wanted to get it back," says Gerd T*. He looks back on an operation that gave him back a familiar feeling of life to a certain extent. He is optimistic about the future. "I assume that I will regain some important functions for myself with my "new penis" and later with the penile prosthesis. Also for the sake of my wife!" he says with a smile.
Gerd T. has undergone a multi-stage operation that is not an everyday occurrence: Professor Dr. med. Ahmet Bozkurt from Helios University Hospital Wuppertal has built a new penis for his patient from his own tissue. "The penis was reshaped from forearm tissue with a urethra and connected to the penis stump that remained after the tumor operation. We connected the patient's own nerves and blood vessels to the transplant," explains the head physician at the Clinic for Plastic and Aesthetic, Hand and Burn Surgery at Helios University Hospital Wuppertal. "This means that the new organ can be expected to have a certain sensitivity. Urination will also function as before."
"I can confirm that," reports Gerd T. a few months after the operation. "I talk about it very openly, and also that this part of my body is very important to me and certainly to many men." He had survived the cancer, which meant that his penis had to be amputated more than two years previously except for a small remnant, in good health. But life without a genitalia took its toll on his psyche. With the support of Professor Bozkurt and his urologist in private practice, he managed to get the insurance company to approve the operation. "They were initially of the opinion: You can't see that! But everyone knows that this organ has other functions than just looking good," says the 63-year-old. "My partner has gone through everything, I have the greatest respect for her. And I want to enjoy life to the full with her again, including physically.
In order for this to actually happen, the patient will receive a so-called erectile tissue prosthesis in the coming months, once the transplanted tissue, technically known as a "penoid", has healed well. This procedure has been tried and tested for decades and helps men with erectile dysfunction. It is a system that pumps a fluid from a reservoir inside the body into artificial erectile tissue. "Whether an orgasm occurs with this method is a matter of the mind, and it often works well," says Prof. Bozkurt from experience.
There is increasing demand for penis reconstruction, as gender reassignment is now a viable way for many people to find their identity. "We are one of the few clinics in Germany that can build penoids from the body's own tissue and are very pleased to be able to help men or trans men to a certain extent with the physical change they long for," says Prof. Bozkurt, who also conducts scientific research on the topic. In a published study, for example, he investigated the extent to which patients develop a feeling in the area of the new penoid or later experience restrictions in the areas where the transplant tissue is removed. "Unfortunately, there are scars there - but the patients usually do not feel restricted by them," reports Prof. Bozkurt on the results of a study. "Alternative methods offer the possibility of penoid augmentation with skin flaps from the thigh."
Gerd T. was of course aware of these side effects. "As a footballer, I'm fortunately tough when it comes to injuries. The other functions were more important to me. I'm very happy with the result and am delighted with my new body part, which now performs its functions well."
*Name changed by the editors
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More information about Helios Hospital Wuppertal
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More information about Prof. Dr. med. Ahmet Bozkurt
