Argentina's President to Undergo Surgery
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Argentina's president will undergo surgery Tuesday to remove blood between her brain and skull that has been causing new and worrying symptoms, her physicians said.
The president's doctors said they had ordered President Cristina Fernandez on Saturday to rest for a month after discovering the subdural hematoma — a clot inside her skull pressuring her brain and causing headaches. In some patients, such blood clots reabsorb by themselves over time.
But the situation became more urgent after Fernandez felt a weakness and numbness in her upper left arm Sunday evening, according to doctors at the Fundacion Favaloro, one of Argentina's top cardiology hospitals.
"Facing these symptoms, the team decided on surgical intervention," the hospital's doctors said in a statement Monday.
The surgery involves drilling small holes through the skull to remove old blood.
In a three-paragraph statement released late Saturday that raised more questions than answers, her doctors attributed the injury to a still unexplained blow to her head she suffered Aug. 12. That would have been the day after a primary vote showed a significant drop in support for ruling party candidates, despite her intensive campaigning.
As the 60-year-old leader returned to the hospital for pre-surgical exams Monday, Vice President Amado Boudou made no mention of the planned operation. He said in a speech that top officials would run the country as a team "while she gets the rest she deserves."
Kirchner has had several health concerns while in office described as cerebrovascular in nature.
In January 2012, less than a month into her second term, she underwent surgery to remove her thyroid gland only to be told that she had been mistakenly diagnosed with cancer.
