Saudi King Abdullah is expected to travel to the United States for treatment of a painful herniated disc and "blood accumulation" around the spine, a Saudi official was quoted as saying by AFP on Sunday. The 86 year old king will depart Monday following the return of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz to the capital from Morocco, expected Sunday, the official said.
Earlier this month, the royal court said the monarch was suffering from a herniated disc. On Friday the king underwent tests at King Faisal hospital in Riyadh after he suffered a new flare-up of pain, and the official report said it involved an "accumulation of blood" around the spinal cord.
Abdullah, Saudi king since 2005, had slowed his activities since May-June of this year due to his previously unnamed problems.
