Since his freak skiing accident in 20113, the condition of Michael Schumacher is a closely guarded secret and since that day on 29 December, the Formula 1 legend has never been seen in public while security around him is iron-clad.
Thus his visit to a hospital in Paris this past week, for stem cell treatment, triggered headlines while prompting speculation (at times wild) and rumours.
Again the curtain of security coupled to no official information and a surgeon close to the hospital treating the seven-time last week has played down reports that the treatment would have involved the F1 legend's damaged brain.
When it emerged that Schumacher would receive stem cell treatment at Hospital Europeen Georges-Pompidou in Paris, many of his fans were hopeful that it could help the 50-year-old German overcome his apparent brain injuries.
But professor Michel Puceat, who according to La Gazzetta dello Sport is a stem cell expert who is close to the team treating Schumacher, thinks the treatment is more likely to be related to the former Ferrari driver's heart.
"Without knowing the patient's clinical picture, it is difficult to offer a precise reading of the type of treatment," he said.
"But taking into account the place of hospitalisation and the person in charge of his care, it is not a question of brain treatment."
He said some experimental brain stem cell treatments have been tried in Russia, while in France and Sweden some attempts were made to limit the effect of Parkinson's disease.
"The results were interesting but only in the short term," Puceat said. "To my knowledge, there are no studies on the application of stem cells to treat brain injuries in comatose or vegetative patients. In those cases, the cells are irreversibly dead."
He said it is more likely that the stem cell treatment is to resolve inflammation in other organs, like the heart or to treat osteoarthritis.
Puceat concluded: "Experiments to regenerate cardiac cells did not succeed as it was hoped."
Meanwhile, Le Parisien reported that "according to our information" Schumacher could benefit from "infusions of stem cells that are distributed in the body to obtain a systemic anti-inflammatory action throughout the body."
"The treatment was to have begun Tuesday morning, with Schumacher reportedly expected to return home on Wednesday. Prof Menasche said details of Schumacher’s treatment would remain secret for reasons of medical confidentiality."
A nurse taking care of Schumacher at the hospital also told the newspaper: "He is in my service and I can assure you that he is conscious."
The report added: "And at 5.15pm [Tuesday], Jean Todt visited Schumacher for 45 minutes before quietly leaving the hospital."
"According to other unnamed sources, the World Champ made at least two visits to the Pompidou hospital earlier this year, admitted each time under a false name and treated by a small medical team," La Parisien added.
On both occasions, he arrived by helicopter from Switzerland and landed at a heliport in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. (Additional reporting GP247)
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