Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive and life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage Wednesday evening and was rushed into all-night emergency surgery in a desperate attempt to halt extensive bleeding. The reins of national leadership were handed over to Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The 77-year-old prime minister's medical team painted a picture of a life-and-death struggle, saying he was in intensive care after nearly eight hours of surgery. Doctors managed to stem bleeding in several areas of his brain, and Sharon's vital signs had stabilized, but prospects for a full recovery were seen as virtually nil. (Newsday.com)

January 04, 2006

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke Wednesday and was on a respirator after falling ill at his ranch. Doctors operated to drain excess blood from his brain.

Powers were transferred to his deputy, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert.

Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, said Sharon suffered "a significant stroke," adding that he was "under anesthetic and receiving breathing assistance." A few minutes later, Mor-Yosef emerged to say that initial tests showed Sharon had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in his brain. (excite.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Stroke

August 20, 2005

Often called mini-strokes, transient ischemic attacks such as that suffered by Sen. Harry Reid can cause brief but frightening stroke-like symptoms.

The good news: These attacks do no permanent damage to the brain. (Yahoo)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Stroke

August 19, 2005

The results of a small preliminary trial suggest that a type of magnetic stimulation of the brain --- repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) -- may produce short-term improvements after stroke. (Yahoo)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Stroke

April 11, 2005

For some patients suffering a sudden stroke, extra oxygen therapy improves their clinical symptoms deficits and brain abnormalities seen on an MRI a small, pilot study suggests. (Reuters)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Stroke

April 01, 2005

"An observer can make a difference to a stroke survivor ... Signs of a stoke include difficulty speaking, loss of vision or double vision, weakness or incoordination, vertigo or a sudden, unusual headache ... "

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Stroke

March 31, 2005

"Aspirin is just as good as the anticoagulant drug warfarin at preventing strokes caused by partial blockage of arteries in the brain, and is much safer, research shows."

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Stroke