Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed into intensive care on Wednesday to undergo a form of dialysis, a spokeswoman at a Tel Aviv hospital said.

Excess liquids have been accumulating in Sharon's body, and the dialysis will filter his blood to remove those, Shiba Hospital said in a statement.

He also has a bacterial infection in his blood, and is being given antibiotics intravenously to treat that, the hospital added.

Sharon, 78, has been in a coma since he suffered a massive brain haemorrhage in January.

On Sunday officials said Sharon's kidneys were failing and changes had been detected in his brain tissue.

Several physicians, including Dr. John Martin, a cardiovascular expert at London's University College, said the kidney failure and the changes in the brain membrane indicate the former leader's life is in danger.

"This is a significant decrease in his condition," Martin told The Associated Press Monday. "Shall we give dialysis or shall we let him die ... most European physicians would consider this at this point."

But a spokesperson said that since then Sharon has been in stable condition and his brain condition has not changed.

Sharon had a minor stroke in December and was put on blood thinners before suffering a massive brain hemorrhage in January.

The popular Israeli leader then underwent several extensive brain surgeries to stop the bleeding, but many independent experts doubted he would ever recover.

Sharon's last surgery, performed in April, was to reattach a part of his skull which was removed during emergency surgery to reduce pressure on his brain. The reattachment was described as a necessary step before transferring Sharon to the long-term care facility at Shiba hospital.

Sharon's stroke came after he pushed through his contentious plan to withdrawal Israel from the Gaza Strip last summer after 38 years, and just two months after Sharon shook up the Israeli political map by leaving his hard-line Likud Party to form the centrist Kadima faction.

After his stroke, Sharon's successor as party leader, Ehud Olmert, led Kadima to victory in a March 28 vote and became prime minister.

Sharon, a former army commander who fought in a series of Middle East wars, held a number of cabinet positions before he became prime minister in 2001.

He is among the best known politicians in Israel's history, but is widely hated by many in the Arab world.

With files from The Associated Press