Blood clot removed and slipped disc adjusted in New York hospitalRIYADH: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, successfully underwent a back surgery at New York's Presbyterian Hospital in the United States on Wednesday, the Royal Court said in a statement. The operation ended successfully after a blood clot was removed, a slipped disc was adjusted and a vertebra was stabilized, the Royal Court said in the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). “The operation was completed successfully, all praise and thanks to God,” it said. King Abdullah flew to the US for medical treatment Tuesday after suffering from a slipped disc and being diagnosed with a blood clot pressing on the nerves in his back. Before his departure, the King designated Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, to run the country in his absence. Tuesday night, King Abdullah received a telephone call from US President Barack Obama wishing him well, the White House said. President Obama called “to convey his best wishes for a full and quick recovery from medical treatment that the King is receiving in the United States,” the White House said in a brief statement. “Both leaders reaffirmed the importance of the US-Saudi bilateral relationship,” the statement read. King Abdullah was diagnosed with a herniated disc on Nov. 12, and subsequently asked Prince Naif, Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, to supervise this year's Haj pilgrimage.
