Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will undergo a minor heart operation later this week, his office announced today.
Mr Sharon (77), is to undergo a catheterisation, the statement said. Doctors said last week the procedure was needed to repair a tiny hole to his heart thought to have contributed to a mild stroke he suffered on December 18th.
The Israeli leader is already back at work after the health scare last month that raised questions over how long he could continue to dominate Israeli politics as he campaigns to win a third term in March elections.
Doctors suspect a blood clot resulting from a small hole in the heart, a common birth defect, caused Mr Sharon's stroke. A tiny tube will be inserted to the heart via a blood vessel in a routine procedure known as cardiac catheterisation that takes about half an hour.
Doctors asked the bulky Mr Sharon to cut back on his workload after the stroke. He has also been advised to eat less fatty food.
Polls have indicated the health scare did not harm Mr Sharon's chances of winning a March election at the head of his new centrist Kadima, which campaigns on a platform of ending conflict with the Palestinians.