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Berlusconi undergoes facial surgery for 2009 attack injuries

Mar 7, 2011, 14:02 GMT

Rome - Silvio Berlusconi on Monday underwent facial surgery to repair some of the damage suffered in 2009 when he was attacked by a man wielding a miniature statue, the Italian premier's doctor said.

The 74-year-old premier was placed under general anesthesia for the four-hour long operation, the doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, said in a statement released by Berlusconi's office.

The surgery which included maxillofacial bone implants, was required to allow the premier to regain normal ability to chew food which was 'severely compromised in the December 2009 attack,' Zangrillo added.

Berlusconi was scheduled Tuesday to meet visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, but the premier's office said the meeting was cancelled due to the operation.

A mentally-disturbed man, Massimo Tartaglia struck Berlusconi with a statuette replica of Milan's cathedral during a political rally attended by the premier in the northern Italian city.

Berlusconi subsequently spent four days in hospital receiving treatment for a broken nose, fractured teeth, and cuts to the face.

The attack prompted a temporary wave of public sympathy for Berlusconi who has since suffered a dip in opinion polls in the wake of several sex scandals.

Berlusconi is currently embroiled in another sex scandal, one in which he has been indicted on charges of paying an underage prostitute for sex and of abusing his political office in an apparent move to cover up his liaison with the woman - a Moroccan go-go dancer.

The trial against the premier is set to begin April 6.

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