Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon continued showing slight improvement on Tuesday and was in no immediate danger although still in critical condition, doctors said.

On the second day after doctors at Hadassah Hospital where Sharon is being treated began to gradually bring him out of a medically induced coma on Monday, the 77-year-old prime minister showed response to stimuli on his left arm for the first time since he suffered a massive stroke and brain hemorrhage last Wednesday.

"Metaphorically speaking, we have backed five meters away from the edge of the cliff," Dr. Yoram Weiss, an anaesthetist in the medical group treating Sharon, told reporters on Tuesday evening.

On Monday, Sharon slightly moved his right arm and leg in response to pain stimuli as doctors suspected that the damage to Sharon's brain might be concentrated in the right hemisphere which control the left side of his body.

But Sharon's response on his left arm on Tuesday came as an encouraging sign for further improvement.

Dr. Weiss further said that although Sharon is still connected to a respirator, he is breathing on his own.

Sharon's breathing, blood pressure, cranial pressure are within the normal range, he said, adding that doctors will continue with the current course of treatment for the next 24 hours, reducing the amount of sedative while monitoring his progress.

Weiss said that the extent of damage to Sharon's cognitive functioning could only be clear after he essentially wakes up.

Hadassah Hospital Director Shlomo Mor-Yosef also stressed that despite Sharon making slight progress, the prime minister still remained in severe condition.

Sharon's son Omri expressed his thanks to physicians for their "dedicated treatment" on Tuesday evening.

Omri's statement came after a controversial report on Sharon's treatment by local newspaper Ha'aretz on Tuesday.

The report said doctors did not know Sharon suffered from an undiagnosed vascular brain disorder that can be worsened by the blood thinners he was taking following a minor stroke in December.

The daily said the brain disorder, called cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), makes Sharon susceptible to hemorrhage and has been diagnosed by brain scans only last week.

Sometimes it can be detected only after brain hemorrhaging, the report added.

Hospital spokeswoman Yael Bossem Levy declined to comment on the report.

"We are busy treating the prime minister and fighting for his life and nothing else," she said.

However, during the update on Tuesday evening, Mor-Yosef said, "A report in one of the newspapers today is incorrect," without specifically mentioning the Ha'aretz report.

"Hadassah physicians were aware of the brain diagnosis and no new diagnosis has been made during the current hospitalization," said the director.

The diagnosis occurred after examining CT scans Sharon underwent, according to the Ha'aretz report, citing a medical source involved in Sharon's treatment.

Sharon's ailment has been captivating worldwide attention, especially in the Middle East where he has been a dominant political figure over years.

Doctors urged patience with Sharon's recovery, saying it will take a few more days to assess the exact extent of damage to Sharon's brain.

But Medical experts say even if the ex-general survives, he is unlikely to return to politics.

Source: Xinhua