Friday, August 28, 2026 - Neurosurgeons in London, UK have performed the world’s first successful AI-assisted operation to remove a brain tumour, saving the sight of a 48-year-old man, health officials have said.
The surgery was performed in May at the National Hospital
for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), part of University College London
hospitals NHS foundation trust, but details were kept secret until Thursday
while the patient, Rhys Hibbert, recovered.
While the surgical team remained in full control, the AI
system analysed live camera footage during the operation, helping identify key
structures such as nerves and blood vessels that should be avoided near the
11mm (0.4in) tumour on Hibbert’s pituitary gland.
“When I came round … I could see everything in the room
clearly,” said Hibbert, who was able to walk independently without glasses or
sticks within a week of the surgery.
He 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 surgeons operated on Hibbert using new AI technology
which helps to identify tiny anatomy in the brain by colour-coding important
structures to help surgeons recognise them safely.
The hospital had previously used the technology as a
research tool but the operation was the first time it had been used on a
patient.The pituitary gland, blood vessels and nerves controlling vision are
tightly packed together, and “going a millimetre wrong can make a critical
difference”, health officials said, potentially leading to blindness, stroke or
death.
Dr Sophia Bano, an associate professor in robotics and AI at
UCL and the 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.”
Initially managed without surgery, Hibbert’s symptoms had
worsened since his diagnosis in 2024, and included severe hormone imbalance and
vision problems. Without the operation, he faced going blind, health officials
said.
Prof Mike Lewis, the scientific director for innovation at
the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which funded the operation
as part of a clinical trial, said the “pioneering surgery” highlighted the
potential of advanced AI to support surgeons and improve patient care.
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