Sharon to undergo heart procedure

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will undergo a catheterisation procedure in the next two or three weeks to repair a small hole in his heart that apparently led to a minor stroke, his doctors said today.

Dr Haim Lotem, head of cardiology at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital, said the hole, measuring 1 to 2 millimetres, was a minor birth defect found in 15% to 25% of the general population.