Doctors have discovered a man who was born with three penises, making him the second-ever recorded case.
According to Medical reports, around one in every five to six million male babies are estimated to be born with Diphallia - a rare genetic condition that occurs when an infant is born with a duplication of the penis.
Triphallia, which had only been recorded once before in medical literature, is an even rarer anomaly and it causes a male baby to have three distinct penile shafts.
The Journal of Medical Case Reports revealed that a 78-year-old man has become the second person in history to be born with a rare birth defect.
The discovery was made after the unnamed individual from Birmingham donated his body to science after his death. It is suspected he may have gone his whole life without being aware of his "remarkable anatomical variation," per Daily Mail.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham Medical School said the rare condition could have caused him some problems.
“These penile morphological abnormalities may not have been identified during his life. However, he may have lived with functional deficits due to the abnormal anatomy of the region, which may include urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction, or fertility issues,” the team added, cited by Manchester Evening News.
According to the publication, the patient - who was a white male around 6 feet tall and of a medium-large build - was dissected by students in Birmingham.
They found that he appeared to have normal genitalia during the examination, however, on closer inspection they saw that there were two smaller penises within his scrotal sac. One was connected to the same urethra as the main penis.
“Without dissection, this anatomical variation would have remained undiscovered, suggesting the prevalence of polyphallia may be greater than expected,” researchers said, per The Independent.
“Despite normal appearance of external genitalia on examination, the dissection of a 78-year-old white male revealed a remarkable anatomical variation: two small supernumerary penises," they added.
Researchers noted that the third penis, the smallest one in his scrotal sac, lacked a urethra. They added that because of this, the man may have lived with "functional deficits" such as erectile dysfunction, fertility issues, or urinary tract infections.
Scientists say the results from the examination shed more light on the clinical importance of this anomaly.
The team disclosed that polyphallia - which means having numerous penises - may be more common than realized.
“As the inferior two penises were concealed within the scrotal sac, external genitalia appeared normal. This may explain why the abnormality was not observed until post-mortem exploration," the team reportedly said, per Manchester Evening News.
“Without any symptoms and additional medical needs, concealed internal penises may not present themselves, preventing diagnosis. Hence, polyphallia may be more prevalent than currently understood," they added.
Scientists have urged healthcare workers to be aware of polyphallia when examining patients.
