A top transgender surgeon is being sued by two patients who claim their operations left them with deformed genitals.
Two anonymous transgender men have filed separate lawsuits against Dr. Curtis Cetrulo over their ‘botched’ phalloplasties at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston.
Cetrulo, a renowned plastic surgeon who performed the first successful penis transplant in the United States in 2016, worked at MGH’s Transgender Health Program.
The lawsuits claim that Cetrulo’s ‘delayed abdominal phalloplasty’ operations on both patients were ‘untested and experimental’ procedures that resulted in severe complications.
According to the court filings, a delayed abdominal phalloplasty is a staged procedure that uses skin from the abdomen to construct a penis.
One patient from New Mexico who traveled to Boston for the surgery claimed the operation left him with a ‘severely deformed, scarred, and nonfunctional structure that was intended to serve as phallus.’
The patient said doctors ultimately had to remove it.
The other patient, a transgender man from Massachusetts, said the botched surgery has caused his wife to suffer the ‘severe restriction of the benefit of the full services, society, and affection of [him].’
Two anonymous patients have filed separate lawsuits against Dr. Curtis Cetrulo (pictured) over their ‘botched’ phalloplasties
The lawsuits claim that Cetrulo’s ‘delayed abdominal phalloplasty’ operations at Massachusetts General Hospital (pictured) were ‘untested and experimental’ procedures
Cetrulo (pictured), a renowned plastic surgeon who performed the first successful penis transplant in the United States in 2016, worked at MGH’s Transgender Health Program
‘The phalloplasty performed by Dr. Cetrulo ultimately failed, causing [the patient] to require extensive additional medical treatment including but not limited to revision phalloplasty,’ the lawsuit said.
Both patients claims they suffered severe complications including having their surgical wounds split open, catheter leakage, urinary complications and infections.
Cetrulo left MGH in 2023 to join the plastic surgery department at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.
‘While we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, our priority remains delivering safe, high-quality care,’ a spokesperson from Mass General Brigham, the healthcare system the oversees MGH, told the Daily Mail.
‘We strive to ensure patients are fully informed about risks and complications before procedures, empowering them to make the best decisions for their treatment.’
MGH spokeswoman Laura Oggeri denied that Cetrulo’s surgeries were ‘experimental,’ but declined to comment further to the Boston Globe.
‘Mass General Brigham’s transgender surgery program has extensive expertise in performing advanced gender-affirming surgery and uses the latest medical technology to ensure optimal outcomes,’ she said.
The Daily Mail contacted the patients’ lawyers, Cetrulo’s attorney and his new employer for comment.
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