London surgeons have performed what health officials described as the first successful AI-assisted brain tumour operation, helping save a patient’s sight.
The surgery was carried out in May on 48-year-old Rhys Hibbert, who had an 11mm tumour on his pituitary gland and faced losing his sight without an operation, health officials said.
During the procedure, the surgical team remained in full control while an AI system analysed live camera footage and helped identify key structures such as nerves and blood vessels that needed to be avoided.
Dr Sophia Bano, associate professor in robotics and AI at UCL and technical lead for the AI system, said: “By learning from hundreds of surgical videos, [the system] has been exposed to a breadth of surgical examples that would take a surgeon many years to encounter.
“It is designed to help recognise critical anatomy, surgical instruments and tissue interactions in real time, supporting the surgeon during highly delicate procedures.”
The operation took place at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Details were not released until Thursday while Hibbert recovered.
The technology colour-codes important structures in the brain, helping surgeons identify tiny areas of anatomy during an operation.
The hospital had previously used the system for research, but this was the first time it had been used on a patient.
The pituitary gland, blood vessels and nerves controlling vision are tightly packed together. Health officials said going a millimetre wrong could potentially result in blindness, stroke or death.
Hibbert had initially been managed without surgery after being diagnosed in 2024, but his symptoms worsened, including severe hormone imbalance and problems with his vision.
Within a week of surgery, he was able to walk independently without glasses or sticks and has since returned to work as a customer service manager.
“It feels like I’ve got a 360-degree panoramic view of everything around me,” he said.
The operation was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research as part of a clinical trial.
Prof Mike Lewis, scientific director for innovation at the NIHR, said the surgery highlighted the potential for advanced AI to support surgeons and improve patient care.
