Kiefer Sutherland's publicist says the star of the U.S. television drama "24" is to undergo surgery to treat a ruptured cyst near his kidney.

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"While Kiefer Sutherland is frustrated to miss even one day of work, he and Fox decided together that it would be best to complete this minor elective procedure now as a precaution as opposed to six weeks from now when production wraps. He looks forward to returning to work next week," his publicist, Evelyn Karamanos, said in a statement issued to the Los Angeles Times Sunday.

"We are temporarily suspending production of '24' while our friend and colleague Kiefer Sutherland undergoes a medical procedure. We hope to resume production shortly and do not anticipate any disruption in the broadcast of this season's episodes," Fox said in a separate statement to the newspaper.