Washington Wizards center Etan Thomas will undergo open heart surgery Thursday to repair a leak of the aortic valve, a procedure that requires months of recovery time but might not mean the end of his NBA career.

Thomas missed the start of training camp Oct. 2 after a routine physical revealed an abnormality in his heart.

The Wizards said they wouldn't comment or make the doctor available until the surgery is completed.

Dr. Ammar Bafi, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Washington Hospital Center and an expert on the procedure, said the operation isn't career-ending for most people.

"It's life-threatening if it isn't fixed. It's life-threatening if it progresses and goes on for a number of years, Bafi said.