Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remained in "serious and stable" condition on Thursday in Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital, and was set to undergo a routine brain scan on Thursday night, doctors said in a statement.
On Wednesday, doctors said they saw "slight improvement" in Sharon's condition. They noted on Thursday the prime minister's heart rate remained regular.
Sharon has been hospitalized since last Wednesday following a massive stroke. Doctors on Monday began the process of slowly lowering his dosage of anesthesia and bringing him out of a medically induced coma.
"During the day, there has been a slight improvement as shown by the various neurological tests carried out by his doctors," Wednesday's statement said. "The prime minister still requires a very low dosage of anesthesia."
Speaking on Israeli television, one of Sharon's doctors said his recovery would likely take months.
"Do not think of this in terms of days, or in terms of weeks," said Dr. Jose Cohen. "This will take a long time."
Another of his doctors, Dr. Felix Umansky, told Israeli television that "we cannot say that he is out of danger."
Sharon has moved his left hand, and is moving his right hand and right leg with more strength than before, his doctors said Tuesday.
Movement of his left hand is significant because the left side of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain, which was damaged by the stroke the 77-year-old Sharon suffered last Wednesday.
Doctors added that his vital signs are within normal ranges, indicating greater stability, and they added there is no immediate danger to his life.
Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah Hospital, said Sharon's movements are "neurological changes indicative of slight progress in brain function" but added that doctors still do not know the extent of the damage to Sharon's brain.
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"As far as brain function is concerned, the prime minister today moved his right hand and his right arm with a bigger movement than yesterday. The prime minister today also moved his left hand," Mor-Yosef said on Tuesday.
Doctors said Sharon is continuing to breathe on his own, although he remains hooked to a ventilator.
Dr. Yoram Weiss, the anesthesiologist who has been treating Sharon, said the greatest change is that Sharon's condition has stabilized. He said doctors will continue to reduce the amount of drugs in Sharon's system, which have been used to keep him in a coma in an effort to allow his brain to heal. That reduction could take days.
At the moment, said Weiss, "There is no immediate danger to the prime minister's life. Metaphorically speaking, we were right on the edge of the cliff. Now we are five meters back."
Asked when doctors would know the extent of the damage from the stroke, Weiss said, "We are gradually reducing the level of drugs being given. We can't know yet what the cognitive improvement is. So what we have to do is be patient."
After Sharon suffered the stroke last Wednesday, doctors operated on him three times, over a span of about 13 hours, in attempts to stop the bleeding in his brain.
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