Hopefully True

Obviously these things are more than a little complicated, but hopefully this optimistic assessment isn't too far from the truth.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy successfully underwent surgery at Duke University Medical Center on Monday for a malignant brain tumor, the doctor who performed the procedure said Monday afternoon.

“I am pleased to report that Senator Kennedy’s surgery was successful and accomplished our goals,” Dr. Allan Friedman, chief of the division of neurosurgery in the surgical department at Duke in Durham, N.C., said in a statement about 2 p.m.

Mr. Kennedy, 76, was diagnosed two weeks ago with a malignant glioma in the upper left portion of his brain after suffering a seizure at a family residence in Cape Cod. He underwent surgery on Monday after initial treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Friedman said after the procedure that Mr. Kennedy should experience no permanent neurological effects from the surgery.