Artificial intelligence makes brain tumor surgery successful

“Surgeons at University College London Hospitals have completed a highly successful AI-assisted brain surgery. As the surgeons removed a brain tumor that threatened a man’s sight, an AI system analyzed the surgical video feed in real time and highlighted critical structures at the base of the brain for the surgeons to avoid cutting into. The tumor was successfully removed, and the patient reported dramatically improved vision after surgery,” reports The Doomslayer.

University College London explains:

“The first use of artificial intelligence to support a neurosurgeon in real time during live surgery has protected the sight of a man having a brain tumour removed, in a UCL-UCLH collaboration.

The operation was carried out at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), UCLH, as part of a clinical trial using AI technology developed in-house at UCL and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Rhys Hibbert, aged 48 from Bedfordshire, a customer services manager and active community volunteer, is the first patient to have surgery in this way. Without surgery, Rhys’s tumour would have continued to threaten his sight and could ultimately have led to blindness. The operation successfully removed the tumour and protected his vision.

During his operation, the UCL-developed AI analysed the live surgical video feed in real time, rather than using pre-surgery scans, to help the surgical team make more precise decisions by highlighting critical structures at the base of the brain.

In this part of the brain, the pituitary gland (the size of a marble), blood vessels and nerves controlling vision are tightly packed together, and going a millimetre wrong can make a critical difference and lead to death, blindness or stroke. The AI supported the surgical team helping identify risky areas to avoid while removing as much tumour as safely possible. It also has the potential to track surgical instruments and instrument–tissue interactions, with the aim of supporting surgeons during complex procedures and providing feedback.”

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