LOS ANGELES – "X-Men" star Patrick Stewart (search) is recovering at home after undergoing an angioplasty procedure earlier this week to widen an artery, his publicist said Friday.
Angioplasty (search) involves the use of catheters to place a small balloon in a narrowed blood channel. When the balloon is inflated, the artery flows more freely.
The 64-year-old Stewart — who played Professor Xavier in "X-Men" (search) and its sequel, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (search) — went in for an annual physical on Monday, according to his publicist, Kelly Bush.
Doctors detected a blood-flow problem and recommended "pre-emptive angioplasty" to head off any future ailments.
Bush described the procedure as a success and said he is resting before returning to work next week, where he plans to finish the upcoming movie "The Game of Their Lives." He will also start voice over work on the Fox TV animated series "American Dad."
However, Stewart's recovery will force him to miss a planned personal appearance on Saturday in Toronto, where he was set to visit a Canadian sci-fi festival.
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