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London Surgeons Remove 11mm Brain Tumour With Live AI Anatomy Mapping

The system color-coded critical anatomy during a delicate pituitary procedure, but the reported result is one patient case within a clinical trial—not a demonstrated safety advantage over standard surgery.

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London Surgeons Remove 11mm Brain Tumour With Live AI Anatomy Mapping
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London neurosurgeons have used a live A-I anatomy map to help remove an eleven-millimetre pituitary tumour from 48-year-old Rhys Hibbert. Officials described the operation as the world’s first successful A-I-assisted brain-tumour removal, but that claim describes what happened in the procedure—not a proven safety advantage over standard surgery. The operation took place in May at London’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. The system analyzed live camera footage and color-coded structures surgeons needed to protect, including the pituitary gland, nerves, blood vessels, instruments, and interactions between tissue and instruments. It functioned as a recognition layer over the surgical field. It did not decide what to do or direct the operation; the surgeons remained in control. That distinction matters because the pituitary sits close to nerves involved in vision and major blood vessels. Health officials said an error of just one millimetre can potentially mean blindness, stroke, or death. The system had previously been used for research and had learned from hundreds of surgical videos, giving it exposure to a wide range of cases. This was its first use on a patient, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research as part of a clinical trial. Hibbert could walk independently within a week and later returned to work. But that is evidence from one recovery, not a population-level result. The key question now is whether the trial can show that live labeling improves outcomes compared with standard practice.

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3 key points

At London’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, an AI system moved from research into a patient clinical trial during a May operation, overlaying live footage with color-coded anatomy as surgeons removed Rhys Hibbert’s 11mm pituitary tumour. It recognized glands, nerves, vessels, instruments, and tissue interactions, but made no decisions; surgeons retained control. Hibbert recovered and returned to...

  1. 01

    Pituitary surgery risks damage to vision-related nerves and vessels; officials said a one-millimetre error can mean blindness, stroke, or death.

  2. 02

    AI was trained on hundreds of surgical videos, exposing it to a breadth of cases beyond a single surgeon’s experience.

  3. 03

    The National Institute for Health and Care Research funded the procedure as a clinical trial and the hospital’s first patient use.

London neurosurgeons used a live AI video-analysis system to help remove an 11mm pituitary tumour from 48-year-old Rhys Hibbert. Health officials described the May procedure as the world’s first successful AI-assisted operation to remove a brain tumour; the surgical team remained in control throughout.

A live view of structures surgeons need to protect

The operation took place at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. The AI analyzed live camera footage, identifying the pituitary gland, nerves, blood vessels, surgical instruments, and interactions between tissue and instruments in real time.

Its interface color-coded critical anatomy that surgeons needed to avoid. The tool therefore acted as a recognition layer over the surgical field, rather than making surgical decisions or directing the operation. The hospital had previously used the technology as a research tool; this was its first use on a patient.

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.

Dr Sophia Bano, associate professor in robotics and AI at UCL and technical lead for the system

The anatomy leaves little room for error

The pituitary gland sits close to blood vessels and nerves that control vision. Health officials said going a millimetre wrong can make a critical difference, with blindness, stroke, or death among the potential consequences. Hibbert’s hormone imbalance and vision problems had worsened after his 2024 diagnosis and initial nonsurgical management; officials said he faced blindness without surgery.

A clinical-trial milestone, not a proven outcome advantage

Within a week, Hibbert could walk independently without glasses or sticks, and he later returned to work. That recovery documents the result for this patient, not whether real-time AI labeling improves surgical safety or outcomes across a broader group.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research funded the operation as part of a clinical trial. The immediate shift is from a hospital research tool into patient care under that setting. Evidence from more patients or a comparison with standard practice would be needed to show whether the visual guidance changes outcomes.

Sources

  1. theguardian.comLondon neurosurgeons perform first successful AI-assisted operation to remove brain tumour

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