Roma soccer player undergoes brain surgery

Roma defender Leandro Castan has undergone surgery in a Rome clinic to remove a malformation on his brain.

The malformation known as a cavernoma - a cluster of anomalous blood vessels - was near the footballer's cerebellum.

It began causing him vertigo, nausea and pain in the ears in mid-September, when he was substituted in the only league game he played this season.

The Serie A club said on Wednesday that the operation lasted three and a half hours and that 28-year-old Brazilian was to spend a day in intensive care.

Castan joined Roma in 2012, when he signed a four-year contract.