Surgery for US vice president Cheney

US vice president Dick Cheney will undergo surgery today to repair an aneurysm in his right knee and will have a similar operation later on an aneurysm behind his left knee.

Cheney is expected to remain in the hospital for up to 48 hours after surgery, said Lea Anne McBride, spokeswoman for the vice president.

The aneurysms, known as popliteal aneurysms, are not considered life-threatening and doctors say the surgery is minimally invasive.

“It’s not complicated if you’re experienced,” said Dr Peter Kalman, professor of surgery and radiology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

The surgery is to be performed under local anaesthetic, Cheney’s office said. The condition was discovered during Cheney’s annual physical in July.

An aneurysm is a ballooning weak spot in an artery that, as blood pounds through, can eventually burst if left untreated.

Cheney, 64, has had four heart attacks, though none since he became vice president in 2001.