ROME, December 17 (RIA Novosti) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was discharged from the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan after recovering from a recent attack with a souvenir statue by a mentally ill man, local media reported.
Media reports said the Italian premier was still experiencing pain and had troubles eating. He spent four nights in hospital, although it was expected that Berlusconi would leave the hospital on Wednesday. Doctors decided on Wednesday that Berlusconi should spend one more day in the clinic.
The doctors said the premier's treatment in hospital was extended due to neck pains from a pre-existing condition, which was exacerbated as a result of the injuries received in Milan.
They also advised Berlusconi to rest from his duties for several days. A number of events with Berlusconi's participation have already been canceled in Italy and abroad.
According to Swiss media, the premier might undergo plastic surgery in the Ars Medica Clinic in Gravesano, Switzerland, where he underwent plastic surgery in 2003.
Berlusconi, 73, had his nose and two teeth broken after a man hurled an alabaster souvenir model of the Milan Cathedral at the premier while he was greeting the crowd and signing autographs after a rally speech.
The attacker, 42-year-old Massimo Tartaglia, has a long record of mental illness and is currently in a psychiatric ward in the San Vittore prison. He has sent the prime minister a letter apologizing for his "cowardly" attack.
