London surgeons perform first AI-assisted brain tumour operation

Surgeons at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London have performed the world's first successful AI-assisted operation to remove a brain tumour, saving the sight of a 48-year-old patient. The surgery, carried out in May, was kept secret until Thursday while the patient, Rhys Hibbert, recovered. The AI system analysed live camera footage during the procedure, helping the team identify critical structures such as nerves and blood vessels near the tumour Source: The Guardian.

The procedure

Hibbert, a customer service manager from Bedfordshire, had an 11mm non-cancerous tumour on his pituitary gland, diagnosed in 2024. Without the operation, he faced going blind. The pituitary gland sits close to the optic nerves and carotid arteries, where a millimetre of error can be critical Source: BBC. The AI, developed at University College London, colour-coded important structures in real time, but the surgical team remained in full control Source: Euronews.

The reaction

Hibbert described his recovery: "When I came round… I could see everything in the room clearly," and he returned to work within weeks Source: The Next Web. Dr Sophia Bano, technical lead, said the system had learned from hundreds of surgical videos, gaining experience that would take a surgeon years to encounter Source: The Guardian. The operation was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research as part of a clinical trial Source: Euronews.

What's next

Prof Mike Lewis of the NIHR called it "pioneering surgery" showing AI's potential to support surgeons Source: The Guardian. Health Innovation Minister James Frith emphasised that AI needs proper safeguards Source: Euronews. The team had previously published research showing AI improved anatomical annotation accuracy from 70.7% to 77.5% Source: The Next Web.