Sen. Kennedy released from hospital after seizure

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), arrives for the swearing-in ceremony of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States and the first African-American to lead the nation, at the Capitol in Washington, January 20, 2009.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy, 76, was released from a hospital on Wednesday, a day after suffering a seizure at an inaugural lunch for President Barack Obama, a Kennedy spokeswoman said.

"His spirits are good, and doctors want him to get some rest," the spokeswoman added, giving no indication when the Massachusetts Democrat may return to work.

Kennedy, who is fighting brain cancer, collapsed at the Capitol luncheon but recovered enough to smile and talk with fellow lawmakers as his stretcher was wheeled to an ambulance and taken to Washington Hospital Center.

Testing suggested the seizure was "brought on by simple fatigue," Dr. Edward Aulisi, the hospital's chairman of neurosurgery, said on Tuesday.

Kennedy was found to have an incurable brain tumor last May that required surgery. He missed much of the rest of the year in Congress, but returned to the Senate after Obama's election in November, determined to help the new president pass sweeping legislation to expand health care.

(Reporting by Thomas Ferraro; Editing by Sandra Maler)