U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes was listed in stable condition last night at Johns Hopkins Hospital for an undisclosed medical ailment.

A hospital spokesman confirmed last night that Sarbanes was being treated at the hospital but declined to provide details about his condition or the reasons for his admission.

Sarbanes was being held for observation last night as a precaution after minor surgery at the hospital on Thursday, according to broadcast reports.

Sarbanes, 69, of Baltimore, was elected to the Senate in 1976 and serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. A Salisbury native, he served four years in the Maryland House of Delegates and six years in Congress before he was elected to the Senate.