Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remained under heavy sedation and no dramatic changes had taken place to his condition so far, Hadassah hospital director Shlomo Mor-Yosef told reporters on Friday.

The leading team of physicians would soon discuss about further treatment for Sharon for the next 24 hours, he added.

He said sedation and respirator as part of the treatment would decrease pressure in the prime minister's skull.

After the sedation period, doctors hope to waken Sharon gradually, Mor-Yosef said, adding that "Sharon's pupils are responding to light, which means the brain is functioning."

"We are fighting for the life of the prime minister, with no compromise," he said.

Sharon was rushed to the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem for a surgery after suffering a massive stroke.

Neurosurgeons managed to stop the bleeding in Sharon's brain and stabilize his condition after a more than six hours of surgery.

Sharon's doctors acknowledged Thursday night that the prime minister has probably suffered irreversible brain damage that would prohibit him returning to office.

After his hospitalization, the government's power and prerogatives were transferred to his deputy and Finance Minister Ehud Olmert.

Sharon was seeking a re-election in the March 28 general election as head of a new centrist party, Kadima. He was enjoying a lead in polls. The party's strength is centered on Sharon himself, and if he were forced to leave the scene, Israel's political scene would be thrown into turmoil.

Source: Xinhua