Sharon stable but still in coma

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remained in a stable condition and his cranial pressure was steady, meaning there is no need to drain fluid from his brain, his doctors said today.

“This is again a positive sign,” said Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Hadassah Hospital where Sharon is being treated after a massive stroke late on Wednesday.

Doctors have said Sharon would remain in a medically induced coma at least until tomorrow, to allow his body to recover from what they said was a severe trauma.

This morning, 24 hours after the end of Sharon’s lengthy brain surgery, his vital signs were stable, said Mor-Yosef.

“The night passed without change,” he said. “All the parameters that we check, blood pressure, pulse, urine output and cranial pressure, the most important parameters, all these parameters are stable.”

“The cranial pressure is within the norm, without the need for us having to drain fluid.”

Hospital officials initially said Sharon would undergo another brain scan today, but Mor-Yosef said they were now debating whether such a test is necessary. “If we conduct this test, we will report to you on its results,” he told reporters.