Upon arrival at the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus de Barcelona hospital it was confirmed, by a team of doctors directed by Dr. Xavier Mir, head of the Hand Surgery and Microsurgery Unit, that Pedrosa has "a fracture on his second metacarpal on his right hand with three diaphysary fragments, which are the bones found in the middle section of the metacarpian."

The operation, which began at 14:00 on Wednesday, consisted of, according to a statement made by Dr. Mir, "first reducing the fracture and then fixing the fracture with a seven holed titanium plate".

Dr. Mir added that the operation proceeded according to plan and indicated that, if there are no post-operation complications, "the recovery of the hand's functions will start within the next 72 hours".

Finally, the surgeon emphasised that "when the rider will rejoin training and his usual sporting activities is unknown since in this type of case it is surprising how quickly top level professional sportsmen recover their abilities compared to the minimum period of the 6 weeks that are needed by most patients with the same kind of injury."

Pedrosa, the 2007 world championship runner-up, is certain to miss next week's Phillip Island test and must be considered in serious doubt for the final pre-season Sepang visit from February 5-7. After Sepang, the next scheduled test is at Jerez in Spain, from February 16-18.

The opening round of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship takes place at Qatar on March 9.