Surgeons in China say they carried out the world's first penis transplant.

The doctors claim the operation was a success - even though the organ was later removed when the patient and his wife suffered "psychological problems". The surgery was carried out at Guangzhou General Hospital on a 44-year-old man whose penis was severed in an accident.

The donor was a 22-year-old man who was brain-dead.

Surgical details, involving connecting blood vessels and nerve ends, are described in the journal European Urology.

The patient was given suppressant drugs to prevent his body rejecting the organ.

The doctors said: "The recipient could urinate smoothly in a standing position at day ten, after removal of the catheter."

However, after 14 days the transplanted penis was removed because of "a severe psychological problem of the recipient and his wife". Despite this, the medical team claim the transplant was a success because it showed no signs of being rejected by the patient's body.

Surgeons have been pushing the boundaries of transplantation in recent years. In the UK they are close to performing womb transplants to allow childless women to give birth.