Pope Francis was admitted to the hospital for surgery Wednesday to repair a hernia in his intestine.

Doctors in rime put the 86-year old pontiff under general anesthesia for the operation.

This operation follows a partial colon removal two years ago.

There were no complications in the 3-hour surgery and his physicians said he was awake later in the day and in recovery.

Dr. Scott Schimpke is a general surgeon at Rush University Medical Center and he joined the WGN Evening News to talk about the type of operation, why it’s necessary, the risks and the recovery.