US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton early yesterday underwent "successful surgery" to repair her broken right elbow and she is expected to make a full recovery, a top aide said.

Mrs Clinton, who is right handed, returned to her home in Washington after the two-hour surgery at a Washington hospital and will rest there with her family during the weekend, her chief of staff Cheryl D. Mills said in a statement.

Her husband Bill Clinton, the former president, and their daughter Chelsea joined her late Wednesday after she fell in the State Department basement as she headed to her car for a meeting at the White House, officials said.

Decisions about her schedule and plans for travel to Europe this week will be made in the coming days, Ms Mills added.

She is due at a meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrial countries in Trieste, Italy and talks of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation on the Greek island of Corfu.

"Her doctors at The George Washington University Hospital have advised her that they expect her to make a full recovery without lasting damage to her arm," the statement said.

"She, president Clinton, and Chelsea are grateful for the many prayers and messages of good will they have received these past few days," Ms Mills said.

The three expressed appreciation for the "excellent care" provided by the medical team, her statement added.