Monday, January 9 2006 11:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: The hospital caring for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said early today (Jan 09, 2006) that there was no change in his condition overnight, and doctors planned to bring him out of a medically induced coma to begin assessing the damage caused by his massive stroke five days earlier.

Doctors cautioned that it was unlikely Sharon could recover enough to return to his post.

"There is no change in the prime minister's condition, which is still critical but stable," the statement said. "This morning there will be consultation among the doctors treating him, and in the event there is no change in the situation, the process of reducing his sedation will begin."

The process of weaning Sharon away from the anaesthetics was expected to take six to eight hours, and experts said doctors should have a good idea of the extent of the damage by the end of the day. One of Sharon's doctors said the prime minister - if he survives - would not be able to resume office, and acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, seen as Sharon's potential heir, told the Cabinet he would work to carry on Sharon's political legacy.

Sharon remained in critical condition yesterday at Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital after suffering a stroke late Wednesday and undergoing two lengthy surgeries to stop bleeding in his brain.

A new brain scan yesterday showed his vital signs, including intracranial pressure, were normal, Dr Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the hospital's director, said.

"His condition is still critical but stable, and there is improvement in the CT picture of the brain", Mor-Yosef said.