UCL surgeons pioneer AI-aided brain tumour operation

University College London neuroscientists have pioneered a groundbreaking AI-aided brain tumour operation, breaking new ground in the sensitive field of medicine. The technology was applied to a delicate pituitary gland tumour case, which had affected the patient's balance and threatened their eyesight. Diagnosed in 2024, the patient, Rhys Hibbert, embraced the experimental treatment.

The AI system, developed by UCL and associated researchers, was designed to recognize critical anatomy, surgical instruments, and tissue interactions in real-time, providing critical support to the operating team during highly delicate procedures. One tiny slip during brain surgery could lead to blindness, a stroke, or even the patient's death.

Sophia Bano, an associate professor in robotics and AI at UCL, explained the system's purpose: "It is designed to help recognise critical anatomy, surgical instruments and tissue interactions in real time, supporting the surgeon during highly delicate procedures." The AI analyzed the live surgical video feed, giving real-time support to the operating team and allowing for more precise decisions.

The AI system ran on an Nvidia Clara IGX platform, tailored to deliver AI in medical device settings. The surgical team was led by Hani Marcus, a consultant neurosurgeon at UCL's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, with Danyal Khan as the surgical resident leading the work. During the research phase, Khan spoke about the system's value in his development as a surgeon: "As I progress as a surgeon, there might be stages where I wonder have I done enough of a particular part of the procedure and should I move on?

Having that sort of assistant in the background as a reassurance to say actually at this stage, out of the hundreds of videos of experts that this algorithm has watched, the experts would probably start moving on to the next phase."