Lady Gaga axes tour as she prepares for surgery

Lady Gaga has cancelled the remainder of her world tour to undergo surgery on her hip.

The Poker Face hitmaker scrapped several shows on her Born This Way Ball trek in the U.S. on Tuesday (12Feb13) after being diagnosed with synovitis, a severe inflammation of the joints.

The singer told fans she was "completely devastated" about having to axe three concerts, but now it appears her hopes of getting back on stage later this month (Feb13) have been completely dashed - the star has been told she will need an operation to treat the injured hip.

The surgery has forced her to cancel the rest of her tour, which runs until the end of March (13).

A statement from promoters Live Nation reads, "Live Nation Global Touring has confirmed that the remainder of the Lady Gaga Born This Way Ball performances have been cancelled.

"After additional tests this morning to review the severity of the issue, it has been determined that Lady Gaga has a labral tear of the right hip caused by strenuous repetitive movements in her performances. She will need surgery to repair the problem, followed by strict down time to recover. This unfortunately, will force her to cancel the tour, so she can heal."

In her statement earlier this week, Gaga told fans that she was suffering "chronic pain" as a result of a past stage injury.