Kennedy has artery cleaned up a bit

BOSTON -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent surgery Friday to repair a partially blocked artery in his neck, which was discovered during an examination of a decades-old back injury.

Kennedy, 75, underwent the hourlong procedure on his left carotid artery -- a major supplier of blood to the neck and head -- at Massachusetts General Hospital, his office announced.

The operation, performed by Dr. Richard Cambria, the hospital's chief of vascular surgery, was completed without complications, and the Massachusetts Democrat was expected to be released in several days, his Washington office said in a statement.

A carotid endarterectomy, the formal name for the operation, is performed on more than 180,000 people a year to prevent a stroke.

"As part of a routine evaluation of Senator Kennedy's back and spine, MRI studies picked up an unrelated, asymptomatic blockage in the senator's left carotid artery," the statement said. "This morning, Senator Kennedy underwent preventive surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital to remove the blockage."

Cambria told reporters surgery is reserved for those with more than 70 percent blockage, and Kennedy had "a very high-grade blockage." He refused to be more specific.

Another of Kennedy's doctors, Laurence Ronan, said, "His overall health is excellent," though Kennedy is on blood-pressure and cholesterol medication and "has to watch his waistline."