Zsa Zsa Gabor undergoes leg amputation

Zsa Zsa Gabor undergoes leg amputation

Hollywood icon Zsa Zsa Gabor had her right leg amputated on Friday by doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Her physicians said that the procedure was a last-resort, life-saving step to prevent infection from spreading further which may kill Gabor.

"She would have died in a very short time because the infection was moving," Gabor's husband Prince Frederic von Anhalt told AFP after the operation.

The 93-year-old Gabor is reportedly in stable condition and under close monitoring at the hospital where she was admitted after the New Year because of the infection. She had been receiving antibiotics since and remains weak. She already had been read the last rites last year because of her deteriorating health.

Her doctors said the infection had spread to Gabor's bone and they had to perform the operation quickly.

"Ms. Gabor needed an amputation above her knee due to poor circulation and a large ulcerated area on her right leg," said David Rigberg, associate professor of vascular surgery at the hospital.

Old age and accidents have taken a toll on the Hungarian-born actress over the years. In 2002, she suffered partial paralysis after a vehicular accident. She also had a stroke in 2005. She broke her hip from a fall in July and underwent hip replacement. Afterwards, she was back at the hospital for surgery to remove a blood clot.

Gabor is known for her flamboyant and controversial lifestyle. She married nine times and faced numerous legal troubles over the years. She starred in "Moulin Rouge" in 1952 and "Touch of Evil" in 1958.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Saturday January 15 2011, 4:17 AM EDT. Ref: Inquirer. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0