Man cuts off penis in boozy bet

2006-07-21 09:16

Riga - A man who cut off his own penis in a drunken bet had his organ stitched back on by Latvian doctors on Thursday, the first such operation in the country's history, Latvian public television reported.

While strongly under the influence of alcohol, the 30-year-old man made a bet with his friend for 1 000 lats ($1 800) that he would cut off his penis, according to the television report.

He was brought to hospital severely bleeding. His penis was with him in a plastic bag.

"We have had a few cases with penis traumas, when it was half-cut or damaged, but this is the first time that it was totally cut off - and brought to hospital in a plastic bag," said microsurgeon Aivars Tihonovs from Gailezers hospital in the Latvian capital, Riga.

'Really angry' at patient

The operation lasted three-and-a-half hours; doctors had to sew six nerves back together, according to media reports.

"The first operation of this kind in the world was carried out in 1977, and it is still very rare," Tihonovs said, adding that such surgery was sometimes needed after bomb explosions.

The surgeon said that he was proud of his work but also "really angry that he (the patient) did it to himself".

Doctors said that it would take four or five days to assess if the operation was successful. It would take about half a year to be sure that the man's penis was functioning properly.

- AFP