Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito successfully underwent surgery at a Tokyo hospital Wednesday to remove a benign growth from his small intestine, the doctors treating him said. «The surgery was performed smoothly as planned and ended successfully,» said palace physician Dr. Ichiro Kanazawa. «The crown prince woke up smoothly from the anesthetic and exchanged a few words with the crown princess, who was waiting inside his hospital room.» Doctors at the University of Tokyo Hospital took two hours to remove the polyp in a noninvasive, endoscopic operation, according to Imperial Household Agency spokesman Yasuo Moriyama. «We were able to do everything that we had to do,» said Dr. Hirokazu Nagawa, the surgeon who performed the operation. Naruhito woke up from the anesthetic after about an hour, Nagawa said. «When I asked him, 'Are you all right?' the crown prince responded, 'I'm fine. Is it over already?»' he said. Naruhito was able to walk around the room without any pain or discomfort, Nagawa added.
