JERUSALEM, AP – A scan of Ariel Sharon’s brain showed improvement Sunday, and doctors will start bringing the Israeli prime minister out of his medically induced coma on Monday, a hospital official said.

Hadassah Hospital director Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef said Sharon remained in critical condition, but his vital signs, including the pressure inside his skull, were normal.

“His condition is still serious but stable, and there is improvement in the CT picture of the brain,” he told reporters outside the hospital.

Bringing Sharon out of the coma is an important step toward assessing the extent of brain damage he suffered from a massive stroke Wednesday.

Doctors initially planned to halt the coma-inducing sedatives Sunday but decided to wait another day after performing the new scan.

Mor-Yosef said the latest scan showed that Sharon’s brain swelling had decreased, his blood pressure and the pressure inside his skull were within normal range, and his cerebral spinal fluid was draining well.

Sharon did not have a fever, Mor-Yosef said.

“In light of all these factors, the panel of experts decided to start the process of taking him out of the sedation tomorrow morning,” he said. “This all depends, of course, on whether the prime minister makes it until tomorrow morning without any significant incidents.”