JERUSALEM, Jan. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a new brain scan on Saturday, which is a planned procedure, hospital spokesman said in Jerusalem.

    Ron Krumer, spokesman of the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem where Sharon is hospitalized, told a foreign media that Prime Minister Sharon underwent a new brain scan on Saturday and "it was planned in advance."

    "It does not mean something has happened," he said, giving no more details about the scan.

    Earlier on Friday night, director of the hospital Dr. ShlomoMor-Yosef told reporters that Sharon remained in critical but stable condition after undergoing a third surgery within two days to stem bleeding in his brain.

    However, the CT scan showed that the 77-year-old leader had "significant improvement" and was returned to an intensive care unit after the five-hour operation, adding there is no active bleeding in Sharon's brain and intracranial pressure has returned to normal.

    Sharon has undergone three rounds of surgery after suffering a massive brain haemorrhage.

    Israelis have kept a nationwide vigil for Sharon after he underwent emergency surgery.

    Doctors at the hospital said it could be days before they knew how much damage he had suffered. But medical experts believe that if he survives it is extremely unlikely he will ever return to work. Enditem