Surgeons in South Africa have completed what's believed to be the world's first successful penile transplant, after a nine-hour operation performed Cape Town's Stellenbosch University hospital.

According to the  the university, the unnamed recipient was a 21-year-old whose penis had to be amputated three years ago after a botched circumcision during a traditional African rite. Since the procedure, undergone in December, he has made a full recovery and regained full use of his organ.

"This is a very serious situation," said Professor Andre van der Merwe, who led the procedure. "For a young man of 18 or 19 years the loss of his penis can be deeply traumatic. He doesn’t necessarily have the psychological capability to process this. There are even reports of suicide among these young men.”

With the success of this operation, other patients are already lining up for penile transplants.