Expert: John Locke - 1/8/2007

Question
If somebody's penis were to be amputated, could it be safely reattached. Would it have all of its functions back?

Answer
Franco, thank you for using AllExperts. I pulled this question out of the question pool because several cases of exactly this kind of injury exist in the medical literature: perhaps surprisingly (or not!), there is a Wikipedia page on the subject, which is referenced at the end of this response.

To answer your questions directly, it depends, and it depends. Reattaching any severed body part requires that the part not have started to decay or break down (this happens anywhere from one hour to several days after removal; keeping it cool helps slow down this process). It also depends to some extent on the skill of the surgeon who will reattach the body part: most plastic surgeons could probably reattach a viable, severed body part, but the degree of use that the patient retains will depend at least partly on the skill of the surgeon.

To retain full function, the original muscles, nerves, and blood vessels in the severed part must be reattached to their counterparts in the body. If any of those have been damaged, then reattachment may not be possible, but it probably can still take place; the real question is whether the patient will still have full functionality. And again, that is not a simple question to answer. Let me lay out some of the possibilities, and the possible resulting outcomes:

1. A guillotine-like amputation: Assuming medical care is obtained quickly, the prognosis is good for reattachment and at least fair for retaining full use.

2. Tearing or stretching: Again, assume that medical care is obtained quickly. Reattachment may take place, but some functionality will probably be lost.

3. Multiple cuts, with injury to multiple parts of the penis: Some functionality would almost certainly be lost.

What happens if the penis cannot be reattached? An artificial penis can be attached, with the urethra running through the center of it as it does normally to aid in urination. On a related note, many commentators have noted the poor human anatomy that makes these injuries possible: many animals have penises that retract into their bodies, and/or are situated on the underside of their bodies. Both of these help protect the organ from injury, but humans have no such adaptations. This is sometimes considered an evolutionary "failure," though that may be too strong of a term.

The Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penis_removal

A more general article on the reattachment of severed body parts:

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic502.htm