Sharon146;s brain scan shows bleeding halted

A scan of Ariel Sharon8217;s brain showed no further bleeding after emergency surgery, medical sources said on Saturday, as doctors prepared to assess how much damage the Israeli leader suffered from the stroke.

Results of the latest scan stirred cautious optimism in the Israeli media, but outside experts have said the prognosis for the PM remains bleak given the hemorrhaging that led to his operation on Friday. Doctors at the hospital said it could be days before they knew how much damage he had suffered. But the medical consensus is that if he survives it is unlikely he will ever return to work.

An initial post-surgical brain scan on Friday had shown that the operation succeeded in staunching the bleeding and relieving intense cranial pressure. Sharon underwent a new computerised scan on Saturday, which medical sources said matched the earlier findings. An official determination on Sharon8217;s condition was expected only after doctors wean him off drugs that have kept him sedated8212; a process that could begin today.