Former President Carter undergoes liver operation; spokeswoman says full recovery is expected

ATLANTA – Former President Jimmy Carter is expected to make a full recovery after having an operation Monday to remove a small mass in his liver, according to a spokeswoman.

Carter Center spokeswoman Deanna Congileo called the procedure “elective” in a statement released Monday afternoon. She says the operation was completed without any issues and Carter’s “prognosis is excellent for a full recovery.”

Congileo said Monday that no further details would be provided.

She did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking how the mass was detected, what symptoms Carter had displayed, what follow-up care he will receive and what is known about the mass.

Carter, 90, was the nation’s 39th president. After leaving the White House, he founded the centre in Atlanta in 1982 to promote health care, democracy and other issues globally.

He has remained active for the centre in recent years by making public appearances and travelling overseas, including a May election observation visit to Guyana cut short because Carter developed a bad cold.

He completed a book tour Saturday promoting his latest work, “A Full Life: Reflections at 90,” according to Julia Prosser with the publisher Simon & Schuster. He has written more than 20 books since leaving office.

The native of Plains, Georgia, is also a former Georgia governor.