SHARON
JERUSALEM (AP):
PRIME MINISTER Ariel Sharon yesterday briefly opened his eyes in response to a recording of his grandson's voice, family members told doctors, though hospital officials warned there were no signs that the comatose Israeli leader was any closer to regaining consciousness.
With the Prime Minister still incapacitated 11 days after a massive stroke, Monday's media excitement over the reported eye movements showed how even the slightest change in his condition is capturing the nation's attention.
Sharon has been lying unconscious in Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital since the January 4 stroke. Although doctors say his condition remains "critical but stable," outside stroke experts have said his failure to regain consciousness in recent days bodes poorly for Sharon. The hospital has not confirmed those concerns.
HOPES SPARKED
Monday's reports seemed to spark hopes that Sharon, perhaps the country's ultimate political survivor, was proving the experts wrong again. After scaling back coverage of Sharon's health in recent days, TV newscasts and radio programming eagerly reported the latest developments.
Israel TV said the Prime Minister opened his eyes as his son, Gilad, sat at his bedside playing a tape recording of Sharon's grandson. A Sharon aide in touch with the family said the report was accurate. He requested anonymity because he was not at Sharon's bedside at the time.
The Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported on its web site that Sharon opened his eyes twice, becoming teary at the sound of his grandson's voice. It said Sharon closed his eyes before doctors reached his room.
The heavy media interest prompted the hospital to issue a statement playing down the reports. It said Sharon's relatives reported "impression of eyelid movement whose significance is unclear."
Outside medical experts warned against reading too much into the reported eye movements.
"I would take nothing from it," said Dr. Maurizio Miglietta, a coma expert at New York University's School of Medicine, especially because there were no other signs of progress reported later in the day.
PURPOSEFUL MOVEMENTS
"It can be anything from him waking up to having a seizure, or it could be involuntary," he said. The next thing to look for would be "purposeful movements," such as responding to voices, he added.
Dr. Anthony Rudd, a stroke specialist at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, said coma patients often involuntarily flutter their eyelids or even open their eyes momentarily. "Often families misinterpret reflex twitching for voluntary movement," he said.
