Dick Cheney to Undergo Spine Surgery
David Sessions
Washington Reporter
Posted:
09/17/09
Former Vice President Dick Cheney will have elective back surgery at George Washington University Hospital in Washington on Thursday. The operation will repair lumbar spinal stenosis, a common cause of lower back pain among older adults. It will be performed by Anthony Caputy, the chief of the hospital's neurosurgery department.
The 68-year-old Cheney has a history of medical problems, including four heart attacks over the past 30 years. While serving as vice president, he underwent a number of procedures, including: having a defibrillator implanted and replaced; surgery to treat aneurysms behind his knees; and hospital visits after feeling shortness of breath and the development of a blood clot in his leg after a long trip to Asia.
The 68-year-old Cheney has a history of medical problems, including four heart attacks over the past 30 years. While serving as vice president, he underwent a number of procedures, including: having a defibrillator implanted and replaced; surgery to treat aneurysms behind his knees; and hospital visits after feeling shortness of breath and the development of a blood clot in his leg after a long trip to Asia.