Sharon undergoes successful surgery
Piece of bone which had been removed from PM’s skull during first operation after stroke returned; Sharon to be transferred out of Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital soon. Colleagues: We still hope and pray. The only thing we can do is wait and hope for his full recovery
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon successfully underwent an operation Wednesday afternoon to return a piece of bone which had been removed from his skull during the first operation after his stroke.
The operation, which was performed at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, had been postponed from Tuesday after contamination was found in Sharon’s breathing passages.
Immediately following the operation, he was returned to his room in the intensive care ward.
Hospital spokespeople said that the contamination discovered Tuesday in the prime minister’s breathing passages passed within a day, and so doctors decided to go ahead with the operation.
'Thank God, this stage also passed successfully'
The team of surgeons included Prof. Felix Umansky, who had operated on Sharon in the past, and senior neurosurgeon Dr. Ricardo Segal, who also carried out the first operation on Sharon and treated him throughout. Dr. Yoram Weiss and Dr. Yaakov Gozal performed the anesthesiology.
The prime minister remains in serious but stable condition. In a few days, when he recovers from the operation, Sharon will be transferred to a different medical center. His family prefers he be cared for at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, but the matter has not yet been decided.
“Thank God, this stage also passed successfully,” Sharon’s close colleague told Ynet. “We still hope and pray. The only thing we can do is wait and hope for his full recovery,” he added.
Next week will mark 100 days since Sharon’s stroke. According to the law, on that very day, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will lose the “acting” from his current title and become full-fledged prime minister.
Ronny Sofer contributed to the report
