The non-surgical, half-hour procedure requires inserting a tiny tube to close the hole, a minor and common birth defect, according to Dr. Haim Lotem. The Prime Minister's personal physician and friend, Dr. Boleslav (Bolek) Goldman, said that Sharon is in the same physical shape as he was before suffering a mild stroke last week.
Doctors added that the Prime Minister weighs 260 pounds (118 kilograms) and has lost about five pounds since the stroke, which was caused when the blood clot in the hole in his heart restricted the flow of blood to his brain.
The doctors spoke at a press conference but did not allow any electronic recording of their statements. Until the procedure, the Prime Minister will take Clexin, a blood-thinning medication, twice a day to keep the problem under control, Dr. Lotem added.
The physicians said there was no clot in the brain and there were no negative effects from the stroke. They did not relate to the chances that Prime Minister Sharon may suffer another stroke, but Dr. Tamir Ben-Hur of the Hadassah Hospital at Ein Kerem said that the catherization "will be done to prevent future blood clots."
Dr. Marc K. Siegel wrote in the New York Post earlier this week that the word stroke is "ominous" because it the world's largest cause of disability and the third largest cause of death.
Likud Knesset Member MK Michael Eitan charged that the medical reports were a "manipulation" because further details of his condition and background were not released.
"The public must be sure that important decisions are being made by the prime minister and not by [his son] Omri Sharon and Dov Weisglass, a close aide to the prime minister," he said.
Before the 2001 elections, The Prime Minister was healthy but had gout, a buildup of uric acid in the joints, according to medical reports obtained and published by the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot.
Doctors added that the Prime Minister weighs 260 pounds (118 kilograms) and has lost about five pounds since the stroke, which was caused when the blood clot in the hole in his heart restricted the flow of blood to his brain.
The doctors spoke at a press conference but did not allow any electronic recording of their statements. Until the procedure, the Prime Minister will take Clexin, a blood-thinning medication, twice a day to keep the problem under control, Dr. Lotem added.
The physicians said there was no clot in the brain and there were no negative effects from the stroke. They did not relate to the chances that Prime Minister Sharon may suffer another stroke, but Dr. Tamir Ben-Hur of the Hadassah Hospital at Ein Kerem said that the catherization "will be done to prevent future blood clots."
Dr. Marc K. Siegel wrote in the New York Post earlier this week that the word stroke is "ominous" because it the world's largest cause of disability and the third largest cause of death.
Likud Knesset Member MK Michael Eitan charged that the medical reports were a "manipulation" because further details of his condition and background were not released.
"The public must be sure that important decisions are being made by the prime minister and not by [his son] Omri Sharon and Dov Weisglass, a close aide to the prime minister," he said.
Before the 2001 elections, The Prime Minister was healthy but had gout, a buildup of uric acid in the joints, according to medical reports obtained and published by the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharonot.