King albert II successfully underwent heart surgery on April 30 at the University of St. Luke’s hospital in Brussels (UCL).
The 83-year-old former monarch, who had his aortic valve replaced, has already returned to his Belvédère Castle residence, where he will continue his convalescence, the Royal Palace stated on Wednesday in a press release.
Albert II has been suffering for years from coronary disease and had already undergone a quadruple bypass to correct this problem. A recent cardiological check-up “showed, however, that the coronary artery disease had progressed” and that there was a “significant stenosis of the aortic valve”, the Palace added.
The multidisciplinary team from the UCL’s Cardiovascular Department then did a coronary angioplasty, placing a stent in the anterior ventricular artery, on the 19th of April. The aortic valve was replaced in a second operation, done on the 30th of April. The new valve was placed at the exit of the heart, without opening the thorax.
Both operations were done without any complications, the Palace stressed.
