HOUSTON -- Former first lady Barbara Bush was released from a hospital Tuesday after she underwent laparoscopic surgery for a perforated ulcer, KPRC Local 2 reported.

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The surgery, a minimally invasive procedure involving a small incision in the abdomen, was one week ago. Surgeons cleansed her abdominal area and closed a 1-centimeter hole caused by the ulcer.

Former President George H.W. Bush was at her bedside.

Barbara Bush, 83, spent Thanksgiving in the hospital, where she was on a liquid diet.

Her husband and surgeon held a news conference before her release.

"All I want to do is apologize that the silver fox is not here. But as you'll hear from (her surgeon), she's doing very well indeed. My role is really to thank the many people who have helped Barbara Bush at this wonderful facility," former President George H.W. Bush said.

"She's in excellent condition. She has all the normal labs and all the normal vital signs. She's quite vigorous. She is on a liquid diet, getting around on her own power and looks very good," Bush's surgeon Dr. Pat Reardon said.

Doctors said the ulcer was a side effect of one of her medications, which will be altered to prevent further problems.

The former Barbara Pierce, daughter of the publisher of McCall's magazine, married George H.W. Bush in January 1945 when he returned a hero from World War II.

They had had their first child, George, while still at Yale in 1946. A daughter, Robin, died in 1953 of leukemia a few weeks before her 4th birthday. The other Bush children are sons Jeb, Neil and Marvin, and daughter Dorothy.

Barbara Bush disclosed she was suffering from an overactive thyroid ailment known as Graves' disease when she lived at the White House. The disease causes teary eyes and double vision, according to her doctors.