Little disclosed on Sen. Kennedy’s condition

BOSTON – Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s hospitalization after a seizure stretched to a third day Monday, raising questions about the severity of his illness.

The senator’s office announced that he is not expected to return to Washington this week, and a spokeswoman said the Massachusetts Democrat had not been available to take a call from President Bush earlier in the day.

There was no word on how long Kennedy, 76, would remain hospitalized. Physicians not involved in his care debated whether the length of his stay was an indication of something more serious or simply an outgrowth of caution in dealing with a prominent patient.

One neurologist said a patient coming in with the symptoms that have been publicly described could be released in a matter of hours after undergoing a series of brain and blood tests.

“In my experience, when people come in with a single seizure, if they can do the MRI and appropriate bloodwork in the emergency room, they’re discharged from there,” said Dr. Mark Schlosberg of the Washington Medical Center.

Dr. Steven Schachter, a neurology professor at Harvard Medical School, said diagnosis “is not always a linear process.”

Schachter said doctors sometimes have to circle back to earlier test results as they glean new clues from subsequent tests or fresh elements of a patient’s medical history. He said one major focus would be determining whether Kennedy actually had a seizure, and if so, whether it’s the type of seizure likely to recur.

The liberal icon was admitted to Massachusetts General on Saturday after becoming ill following a walk with his dogs at his oceanfront home on Cape Cod.

No members of his family have spoken publicly about his condition, and a statement Saturday from his personal physician, Dr. Larry Ronan, contained the most spartan of details.