{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.021994134897360705, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0032991202346041057, 'mean_word_length': 5.202272727272727, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Ariel Sharon's illness: should we dedicate a medical journal issue to a single case study?

On 18 December 2005, Israel's prime minister was admitted to the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem with sudden-onset aphasia and was diagnosed as suffering from a cerebral embolic event. The medical information quoted below was released by the hospital spokespersons and appeard in the media as well as in medical journals. The MRI revealed a small left cortical ischemic lesion and old microbleeds. A transesophageal echocardiogram showed a significant patent foramen ovale with atrial septal aneurysm and a spontaneous right-to-left shunt. The ascending aorta and the aortic arch were normal. Mr. Sharon did not have the common vascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and hypertension, and he did not smoke. Considering the risks of a recurrent embolic stroke on the one hand and those of cerebral hemorrhage on the other, Mr. Sharon's physicians decided to treat him with low molecular weight heparin with Factor Xa monitoring for a limited time period, to close the PFO as soon as possible after the acute cerebral event and to switch thereafter to antiplatelet therapy. Unfortunately, 2 weeks later, the Prime Minister suffered an extensive hemorrhagic stroke. He received treatment with Factor VIIa and underwent emergency decompres-sive craniectomy and partial removal of the hematoma. Although this most probably saved his life, he remained in a vegetative state and was recently transferred to a rehabilitation center [1]. Due to Mr. Sharon's prominent national and international position and the probable consequences of his medical condition for the political situation in Israel and probably for the entire Middle East, his medical condition led to a great many medical and non-medical questions raised by the public, the media and the medical community [2]. The medical questions included the following: What is the role of anticoagulants in the prevention of cardioembolic cerebral events? What is the significance of a PFO in advanced age as a risk factor for a cerebral cardioembolic event? Should we look routinely for microbleeds before starting anticoagulant therapy? Is the MRI finding of microbleeds, which are compatible with cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a contraindication to anticoagula-PFO = patent foramen ovale tion? What is the role of surgery in extensive cerebral hemor-rhage? What is the appropriate treatment of prolonged vegetative state? Sharon's condition also raised other important non-medical issues: Who is responsible for the medical care of political lead-ers? What is the right balance between political leaders' privacy of medical information and the " public's right …