A patient in the UK has become the first person in the world to undergo brain surgery guided by artificial intelligence in real time. The operation took place at University College London Hospital and involved removing a tumour from the base of the skull.
The patient, Rhys Hibbert, is a 48-year-old customer services manager and father of two from Bedfordshire. He had been fit and healthy until 18 months ago.
Hibbert collapsed and had a seizure while out on a walk. A brain scan later showed an 11mm tumour growing on his pituitary gland.
What the AI Tool Did During Surgery
The pituitary gland sits close to the carotid arteries and the optic nerves. These structures are hard to see during surgery because they are hidden behind bone and tissue.
Surgeons used an endoscope, a thin camera on a stick, inserted through the nose to reach the tumour. As they worked, an AI system analysed the live video feed on a second screen.
The tool tracked surgical instruments and marked areas where vessels and nerves were likely to be. This helped guide surgeons toward the safest place to remove the tumour.
Researchers compared the tool to facial recognition software, except it recognises anatomical structures instead of faces. It was trained on hundreds of past pituitary surgery videos, with vessels and nerves manually marked on each one.
Prof Hani Marcus, who took part in the operation, said the system has seen more procedures than most surgeons will in their career. He described it as acting like a second pair of expert eyes.
Doctors say the tool does not make decisions on its own. Surgeons remain fully in control throughout the procedure.
Risks and Recovery After Surgery
Before the operation, doctors said there was a 25 to 50 percent chance of not removing the entire tumour. There was also a small chance, around 0.5 to 2 percent, of damage to a major blood vessel.
The tumour had been pressing on Hibbert's optic nerves, narrowing his side vision. He also experienced fatigue and dizziness before the surgery.
Hibbert said the emotional toll was one of the hardest parts of his diagnosis. He did not want to feel like a burden to his family, even as people offered to help.
He agreed to be the first patient to try the AI-assisted method without hesitation. He said patients need to take part in research for medicine to move forward.
After the operation, Hibbert said his vision felt like it had returned to 360 degrees. He had not seen that clearly in about a year.
In the eight weeks since surgery, his sight has kept improving. His energy has also returned, and earlier side effects have disappeared.
The project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Google. It was developed by researchers at UCL after years of lab testing.
Researchers are now planning a larger trial to test the AI tool on more patients. The long-term goal is a system surgeons can consult during operations, similar to an AI chat assistant.
Health innovation minister James Frith said the surgery was funded through government-backed research. He said AI in healthcare needs proper safeguards while also delivering its benefits.
Hibbert said the operation gave him his life back.
