US Senator Edward Kennedy is undergoing a series of tests in hospital after suffering a seizure yesterday.
The 76-year-old liberal stalwart fell ill yesterday at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port and was taken to a nearby hospital before being flown by helicopter to Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital.
Senator Kennedy's doctor said preliminary tests found he had not suffered a stroke and was not in immediate danger, but the senator would undergo more evaluations over the next few days to determine what caused the seizure.
Mr Kennedy's senate office said results of the tests would not likely be known until Monday.
The Boston Globe newspaper reported that Mr Kennedy had suffered a seizure at home, and then another as he was being transported by helicopter.
The Cape Cod Times said he was conscious when emergency services first arrived at his home.
According to the newspaper, Senator Kennedy had surgery in October to repair a blockage in a major neck artery, a common procedure to prevent a stroke.
Often called Ted or Teddy, Mr Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 1962, making him the second longest serving senator after Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
Influential within his own party and Congress, Mr Kennedy has championed liberal causes such as health care and the raising of the minimum wage, and has been a fierce critic of President George W Bush and the US war in Iraq.
