Kennedy fine after artery operation

washington -- Edward M. Kennedy, the senior Democratic senator from Massachusetts, underwent surgery Friday to clear a partially blocked artery in his neck.

Kennedy, 75, had the hourlong procedure at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital, where surgeons removed a blockage from his left carotid artery, which supplies blood to the head and neck. Kennedy’s doctors called the operation “routine” and “uneventful.” They added that Kennedy was resting comfortably, enjoying ice cream and ginger ale, and planning to watch the Boston Red Sox baseball game Friday night.

“The senator is expected to make a full recovery,” said Dr. Richard Cambria, who heads the hospital’s division of vascular and endovascular surgery.

The procedure, known as a carotid endarterectomy, involves making a small incision in the neck and removing plaque or other blockage. “This was a very high-grade blockage,” said Cambria, who performed the procedure. He estimated that the blockage had reduced the diameter of Kennedy’s artery by 70%.

Kennedy had exhibited no symptoms of the blockage, which doctors discovered Oct. 4 during a routine evaluation of Kennedy’s back and spine. Kennedy has had back problems since a plane crash in 1964. Magnetic resonance imaging detected the mass in his artery.

Kennedy’s general physician, Dr. Lawrence Ronan, said the senator was in excellent health for his age. Kennedy swims daily, Ronan said, watches what he eats and “has done a good job of losing weight over the last couple of years.” Ronan added that Kennedy keeps his blood pressure and cholesterol in check with medication.

Kennedy will return to his normal schedule in Washington and Massachusetts after a week, his staff said.

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