Deputy to hold power during Sharon operation

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will hand over power to his deputy during a heart procedure tomorrow, his office said yesterday, the first time an Israeli leader has agreed to give up authority because of illness.

Sharon's office played down concerns about the health of the 77-year-old leader, saying the procedure to close a small hole in his heart, including a period when he will be under general anesthesia, will last only three hours. However, officials canceled Sunday's weekly Cabinet meeting to give Sharon an extra day to recover.

Vice Premier Ehud Olmert will take over during the procedure, Sharon's office said.

Doctors discovered the hole after Sharon suffered a mild stroke Dec. 18. The hole, measuring about one-eighth of an inch, apparently led to the stroke by allowing a small blood clot to reach Sharon's brain.

Although Sharon temporarily lost the ability to speak, his doctors said the prime minister suffered no lasting damage. He already has resumed his full work load, and doctors say tomorrow's procedure, called a heart catheterization, will virtually eliminate the risk of a similar stroke.

Using a catheter inserted through a blood vessel in Sharon's groin, a team of cardiologists will put an umbrella-like device over the hole to seal it. A small camera inserted through Sharon's throat will guide the doctors.

''After the catheter is taken out, the two parts of the umbrella stick to one another and close the hole," said Ron Krumer, a spokesman for Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, where Sharon will undergo the procedure. Sharon was treated for his stroke at the same hospital.

Over time, the umbrella becomes part of the heart wall, Krumer said.

Dr. Jonathan Marmur, head of interventional cardiology at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, said the procedure is ''state of the art and cutting edge."

Possible complications include the device moving from its intended position and slipping into the heart or bloodstream, or the device could erode or potentially perforate the heart, Marmur said. But he said the chance of either complication is very small.

Israeli Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon said the procedure is expected to last three hours.