Neurosurgeons perform first AI-assisted operation to remove brain tumour

Neurosurgeons have performed the first successful AI-assisted operation to remove a brain tumour, claiming the technology helped save a patient’s eye.

Rhys Hibbert from Bedfordshire, England, is the first person to have surgery in this way. The AI system was trained on videos of previous operations and helped the surgical team identify risky areas to avoid while removing as much of his tumour as possible.

The operation was carried out at London’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery as part of a clinical trial using AI technology developed in-house at University College London.

Hibbert said he was “humbled” to have been asked to take part in the research, which experts say could improve patient outcomes.

“This is an example of AI at its best: patients getting care previously deemed unimaginable thanks to the latest groundbreaking technology,” said James Frith, health innovation minister.