MANILA - A cosmetic surgeon confirmed Thursday that President Arroyo underwent excision biopsy at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa City last week after experiencing pain in her left breast.
Dr. Raul Guanzon said he performed the two-hour operation on the President last week while Mrs. Arroyo was on self-imposed quarantine at the prestigious hospital. "She consulted us to remove the lump on her breast. We also did frozen section analysis on the mass to find out if it was benign or malignant and it turned out to be benign," he told ABS-CBN.
He said the lump could have formed due to hormonal changes.
Guanzon, however, refused to say if the President indeed has breast implants.
Philippine Star columnist Jarius Bondoc and the Manila Bulletin first broke the news about President Arroyo's breast enhancements last week after Mrs. Arroyo went on self-imposed quarantine after a trip abroad.
In his July 3 column, Bondoc said Mrs. Arroyo had "mammoplastic repair of leaking breast implants done in the ’80s" at the Asian hospital. He added that doctors were also set to remove an inguinal cyst on the President's groin "and laser off extra hair growth in that area and the armpits."
Malacañang spokesmen initially denied the report but later admitted that the President had breast implants done in the 80s.
The revelation sparked a probe by the National Bureau of Investigation due to alleged violation of doctor-patient confidentiality.
Bondoc also said his phones and email records were being checked for the source of the leak.