AC Milan and Italy star Antonio Cassano has had successful surgery to repair a heart defect, the doctor treating him said on Friday.

Cassano was diagnosed with a hole in his heart after suffering an ischaemic stroke last weekend.

He was operated on by Dr Mario Carminati, a specialist in cardiological congenital defects, at the Policlinico San Donato hospital in Milan.

"The operation went very well and quickly. There were no problems," said Dr Carminati, who is considered one of the leading experts in his field in Italy.

Cassano's condition comprises essentially an anomaly of the heart in which a small hole develops between the left and right atrium, allowing blood to escape between the two, causing turbulence that can result in blood clotting.

The procedure to close the hole took just 35 minutes, Dr Carminati said.

Cassano was taken ill on Milan's return from Rome in the early hours of Sunday morning, following a 3-2 win over Roma.

The 29-year-old was suffering from difficulties in his speech and movement.

Nereo Bredolin of the hospital's neurology department said the scar left by the procedure "will disappear gradually".

Medical sources indicated that Cassano could potentially leave hospital as early as Sunday.

But he is likely to be out of action for much, if not all, of the rest of the season, placing a big question mark against any possibility of him featuring at Euro 2012 in June.

"I was very worried but his career is not at risk," said AC Milan vice-chairman Adriano Galliani.