Former president Jimmy Carter undergoes liver operation

Former President Jimmy Carter had a “small mass” removed from his liver during surgery Monday, his office said.

Former president Jimmy Carter discusses his latest book, “A Full Life”, at the Carter Center, Wednesday, July 15, 2015, in Atlanta. He is expected to make a full recovery.

A statement released by Deanna Congileo described the operation at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, as an elective procedure. It provided no other details.

Carter, a Democrat, beat incumbent Gerald Ford to become president, serving from 1977 to 1981.

He has remained active for the center in recent years by making public appearances and traveling overseas, including a May election observation visit to Guyana cut short because Carter developed a bad cold. At the time, the center said only that Carter departed after “not feeling well”.

Carter, a former Georgia governor from Plains, was the 39th US president.