Jerusalem ? Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent a minor procedure Wednesday to remove fluid from his stomach after a scan uncovered the problem, Hadassah Hospital said in a statement.

The prime minister has been hospitalized since Jan. 4 when he suffered a massive stroke that left him in a coma. Sharon remained in stable but serious condition Wednesday, the Jerusalem hospital said.

The procedure was the first since Sharon, 77, underwent an emergency abdominal surgery Feb. 11 to remove dead digestive tissue. Doctors took out 20 inches, or one-third, of his large intestine during that operation.

Medical experts said that the longer Sharon remained unconscious the less hope there was that he would recover.