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Sharon remains stable after CT scan
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-10 10:08
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a CT scan that showed he
remained in serious but stable condition Thursday, the hospital said, in the
first announcement on the comatose leader's state since he had a feeding tube
inserted in his stomach earlier this month.
The statement from Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital said Sharon's condition had
not changed and called the CT scan "routine."
The CT scans have been used to assess bleeding and swelling in Sharon's brain
since he suffered a massive stroke on Jan. 4 and went into a coma. According to
past hospital statements, there have been no changes in the results of the scan
in recent weeks, but Sharon has failed to regain consciousness.
Thursday's statement was the first word on Sharon's condition since he
underwent a gastrostomy to insert a feeding tube in his stomach on Feb. 1, an
indication that his doctors are thinking in terms of long-term care for the
77-year-old Sharon.
Sharon suffered a stroke with what was described as "significant" bleeding in
his brain a day before he was to check into Hadassah Hospital for a procedure to
correct a tiny defect in his heart that was said to have contributed to a mild
stroke he suffered two weeks earlier.
Doctors have come under fire from critics who questioned whether Sharon
should have been treated with massive doses of anticoagulants after his first
stroke, which was caused by a small blood clot in a cranial artery. Doctors
admitted that the anticoagulants made it more difficult for them to stop the
bleeding from the later hemorrhagic stroke.
The extensive bleeding and the lengthy operations Sharon underwent to stop it
have led experts to conclude that he must have suffered severe brain damage and
was unlikely to regain consciousness. If he does awaken, most say, the chances
of his regaining meaningful cognition or activity are slim.
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