by Nick Holdsworth
Moscow/The Daily Telegraph
Apr 11, 2005

A Russian man born with genitals so small that he was unable to have sex has been given the chance to lead a normal love life after a new penis was “grown” on his arm during pioneering surgery.

In an 11-hour operation, plastic surgeons in Moscow removed the 28 yo’s undersized penis and stitched it to his left forearm, where they grafted on additional flesh and tissue taken from his inner arm. The newly enlarged organ, which had grown from less than five centimetres to nearly 12 centimetres was then reattached to his groin.

His surgeon, Mikhail Sokolshchik, of the National Medical Surgical Centre, hopes that the patient will eventually be able to have sexual relations and father children.

The patient, who comes from a Siberian village and was identified only by his first name, Sergei, paid over $2,200 Cdn towards the cost of the operation, which the doctors had warned was performed at his own risk. The bulk of the cost, however, was borne by the clinic, which hopes to market the procedure to similarly afflicted men around the world.

It’s thought that up to one in 200 men are born with “micropenises” – the medical term for male genitalia that are less than two inches long when aroused. Many sufferers find intercourse either difficult or impossible, often having acute psychological problems as a result.

During Sergei’s operation, the surgeons began by removing the tip of his penis and grafting it to his left forearm, allowing cell and tissue material to be kept alive.

Simultaneously, skin from his forearm was cut into two separate flaps which were rolled up and stitched around flexible tubular silicone implants to fashion a lengthened shaft.

The shaft and tip were then joined as one, before they were removed from the forearm and sewn back on to the base of the man’s groin. A section of skin from his thigh was then grafted on to his forearm to reduce visible scarring.

Sergei should soon be able to have sex for the first time. He won’t be able to achive an erection, but will be in a permanent state of semi-arousal.

“He has never had a partner or sex because of his micropenis,” Sokolshchik said. “Now he has the opportunity to begin his sexual and romantic life and to father children, assuming his sperm count is normal.”