Chicago Symphony Director Muti Has Surgery

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director Riccardo Muti (MOO'-ti) has undergone surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for facial and jaw fractures sustained during a fall.

Dr. Alexis Olsson, who performed Monday's surgery, says it went extremely well and he expects Muti to make a full recovery. Olsson says he implanted screws and plates in Muti's face and temporarily wired his jaws to stabilize his lower jaw during healing.

The 69-year-old Muti was injured when he fainted during a rehearsal Thursday and fell from the podium.

Deborah Rutter, president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, says Muti is recovering at the hospital and continues to undergo testing to determine the cause of his fainting.

Muti missed most of last fall's CSO performances when he was hospitalized in Italy for extreme physical exhaustion.