World’s first brain tumour removal with live AI assistance

Doctors at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London of the United Kingdom have removed a brain tumour with the direct assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) during surgery for the first time in the world. In this surgery the AI technology analysed live video and helped the surgeons identify the location of important nerves and blood vessels of the brain. The patient’s eyesight was also saved after the successful surgery.

The patient of this historic surgery is Rees Hibbert, 48. A resident of Bedfordshire, Hibbert works as a customer service manager. After he suddenly lost consciousness and suffered a seizure while walking in December 2024, examinations detected a tumour of about 11 millimetres size in his pituitary gland. As the tumour began to create pressure on his eyesight over time, the decision for surgery was taken. Doctors feared that without treatment he could lose his eyesight at some stage.

Although the surgery was performed in May this year, its details have been published recently. During this time the AI system analysed the live video of the surgery captured through the endoscope and identified the important structures of the brain. Especially by identifying the blood vessels and nerves controlling eyesight located near the tumour, the technology helped the doctors avoid risky areas. As important blood vessels and nerves remain very close around the pituitary gland, even a one-millimetre mistake can bring serious consequences.

A special aspect of using AI is that it did not depend on the scans before the surgery. Rather it provided necessary information by analysing the live video during the operation. The technology can show important physical structures separately through colours. Researchers trained the AI system using videos of hundreds of previously performed pituitary tumour surgeries. As a result, the ability to identify important parts during surgery considering the differences in physical structure of different patients has been created.

However, the control of the surgery was not in the hands of AI. The doctors themselves were in decision and control of the entire process, and AI worked as a kind of additional assistant. In the words of the researchers, it can work like a ‘second pair of eyes’ of an expert. The technology can also identify the movement of surgical instruments and the mutual position of the instrument and tissue, which can help doctors in more complex surgeries in the future.

Hibbert’s eyesight improved quickly after the surgery. Within a week he became able to walk without the help of glasses or a stick and later returned to work. According to him, after waking up from the surgery he could see much more clearly than before. At present he has returned home after recovery and is gradually returning to normal life.

Further large-scale research is being prepared on this AI technology developed by the Hawkes Institute of University College London. The technology is being tested in research conducted with funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Google. The aim of the researchers is to create such a system in the future that can provide information and advice like an expert assistant as needed by the surgeons during surgery. However, the concerned have said that ensuring patient safety and proper protection is given the highest importance in the use of AI in the medical field.