Schumacher 'unlikely' to make full recovery, brain expert warns
Anna Gowthorpe-PA Wire
The 45-year-old has been in a medically induced coma for two months.
Michael Schumacher is "unlikely" to make a full recovery after suffering serious head injuries from his skiing accident, a leading neurologist has warned.
Dr Tipu Aziz, professor of neurosurgery at Oxford University, said it "does not bode well" that the Formula One legend remains in a medically induced coma after two months.
"The fact that he hasn't woken up implies that the injury has been extremely severe and that a full recovery is improbable," Dr Aziz told reporters.
"If you don't start getting any positive signs, that becomes very worrisome."
Doctors at the University of Grenoble Hospital have been slowly reducing the dosage of drugs used to sedate Schumacher to bring him out of his coma while protecting his brain's healing process.
Dr Aziz, who is not connected with Schumacher's care, said the 45-year-old's sedation may have hampered attempts to assess the damage from the accident and thus forecast his chances of a recovery.
"Doctors are probably doing regular brain scans to look for signs of activity - though such signs may be difficult to detect if he is still being sedated," he said.
Details of Schumacher's condition have been closely guarded by his family, who have let little information become public in order to protect his privacy.
Earlier this week Schumacher's management team broke a news blackout to deny reports that doctors had abandoned attempts to wake him up.
It is believed medics will be looking for eye movements from the racing driver as they enter a third week of trying to bring him out of his coma.
The seven-time F1 world champion hit his head on a rock while skiing off-piste in the French Alps in late December.