British surgeons performed the world's first brain tumor removal surgery using artificial intelligence

The world's first patient successfully had a brain tumor removed during an operation performed with the help of real-time artificial intelligence, writes the BBC.

Rhys Hibbert, a father of two from Bedfordshire, could have lost his sight without this operation, surgeons at University College London Hospital said.

During the operation, the AI system analyzed video footage in real-time and guided surgeons on how to avoid damaging vital, yet hidden, blood vessels and nerves in the brain. Thanks to this, doctors were able to safely remove as much of the tumor as possible.

"From a patient safety perspective, I can quite clearly see the advantages of this technology. There are no road signs inside our heads," Hibbert said.

Just 18 months ago, 48-year-old Rhys Hibbert, a customer service manager, was perfectly healthy and walked about two miles every day during his lunch break.

During one such walk, he lost consciousness and began to have seizures right on the street.

A brain scan revealed an 11mm benign tumor growing on his pituitary gland. The pituitary gland itself is an organ about the size of a small pea, located at the base of the skull.

This gland produces vital hormones involved in processes such as growth, metabolism, blood pressure regulation, and body temperature.

It is particularly important that the pituitary gland is located very close to the carotid arteries — vital vessels that supply blood to the brain — and the optic nerves, responsible for vision.

As Hibbert's tumor began to press on his optic nerves, his peripheral vision started to narrow.

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Severe fatigue and dizziness

Although Hibbert did not require immediate surgery, he began to suffer from significant fatigue and dizziness.

"For 18 years of married life, I always got out of bed and made my wife a cup of coffee," Hibbert said. "And I wasn't going to let this tumor stop me."

According to him, the disease had the greatest impact on his emotional and psychological state.

"Although many people kindly offered me help, no one wants to become a burden to those around them," he added.

When surgeons offered Hibbert the opportunity to be the first patient to undergo surgery using a specially designed AI-powered tool, he agreed without hesitation.

"If patients are not willing to participate in research, how can doctors learn and how can medicine evolve?" he explained his decision.

During the operation, an endoscope — a thin instrument with a camera — was inserted through the nose to the base of the skull.

At this stage, the tumor was very close but hidden behind layers of bone and a thick membrane.

Identifying the safest place to remove it was not easy, especially since each person's anatomical structure is unique.

The probability of not being able to remove the tumor completely was between 25 and 50%, and the risk of damaging a large blood vessel was between 0.5 and 2%.

This is where artificial intelligence came to the rescue.

"Surgical ChatGPT"

On a second screen, the system analyzed the video feed from the operation in real-time, tracked surgical instruments, and highlighted areas where vessels and nerves were most likely located, while simultaneously identifying sections where the tumor could be removed most safely.

The technology resembles facial recognition systems in smartphones, but instead of faces, it recognizes important and often hidden anatomical structures.

On average, a British surgeon performs about 10-20 such operations per year, relying on scans taken before the intervention to study the specific patient's anatomy in advance.

Researchers trained and tested their AI system on hundreds of video recordings of pituitary tumor removal surgeries. In each video, they carefully marked vessels and nerves, helping the system collect data and learn to "recognize" the most important structures.

"It has been trained on more operations than most surgeons will see or perform in their entire career and can act as a second pair of eyes for an experienced specialist," said Professor Hani Marcus, who participated in the operation.

Furthermore, unlike other experimental AI-based tools, this system works in real-time, he added.

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The team emphasizes that the AI-based tool only assists doctors, and full control over the operation remains with the surgeons.

In the long term, researchers want to create a kind of ChatGPT for surgeons – so that "there is another expert in the operating room who can be consulted for advice if desired, or whose recommendations can be ignored if the surgeon disagrees with them," says Professor Marcus.

The development was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Google, and the system itself was created by researchers at University College London (UCL). They tested and refined the technology in laboratory conditions for several years.

Researchers are satisfied with the results of the system's first use during a real operation and are now working on a larger-scale study.

"My life was given back to me"

"When I opened my eyes after the operation, it felt like I had full, 360-degree vision back — I hadn't seen that well in a whole year," Hibbert said.

In the eight weeks since the operation, he has noticed that his vision continues to improve literally every few days.

"My energy has returned, and all the side effects I suffered from before the operation have disappeared. This gave me my life back," he says.

Health and Social Care Secretary James Freeth stated that he was pleased that the life-changing operation was performed as part of state-funded research.

"Proper safety measures are necessary for the use of AI, and we will always ensure that safety issues are given due attention. But we will also make sure to take advantage of the opportunities it provides," the minister added.

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