Surgeons at
University College London Hospitals (UCLH) successfully removed an 11mm
non-cancerous tumour from the pituitary gland of 48-year-old father of two,
Rhys Hibbert, with the assistance of an AI system.
Doctors said the
operation could have prevented Hibbert from permanently losing his eyesight.
Until around 18
months ago, Hibbert, a customer service manager from Bedfordshire, was fit and
healthy. He regularly walked two miles during his lunch break. But one day he
suddenly collapsed and suffered a seizure while walking.
A subsequent brain
scan revealed a marble-sized tumour at the base of his skull, in the pituitary
gland. The gland plays an important role in hormone regulation and is located
close to the carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain, and the optic
nerves responsible for vision.
As the tumour grew,
it began pressing against the optic nerve, narrowing Hibbert’s peripheral
vision. He started bumping into objects and experienced severe fatigue and
dizziness.
Reflecting on his
condition, Hibbert said he had always got out of bed and made a cup of coffee
for his wife during their 18 years of marriage and did not want the tumour to
take that away from him.
When doctors
offered him the opportunity to become the first patient in the experimental
AI-assisted procedure, Hibbert said he did not hesitate.
If patients aren’t
prepared to take part in research, how are doctors going to learn and how is
medicine going to progress? he said.
The procedure
involved inserting an endoscope through the nose to reach the tumour behind the
base of the skull.
Finding a safe
route was particularly challenging because patients’ anatomy varies and the
tumour was located behind bone and tough membranes.
In conventional
procedures, there is a 25 to 50 per cent chance of being unable to remove the
entire tumour, while the risk of damaging a major blood vessel is estimated at
between 0.5 and 2 per cent.
During the
operation, the AI system analysed live video footage on a second screen. It
identified hidden anatomical structures, blood vessels and nerves and guided
surgeons towards the safest route to the tumour.
The system had been
trained using hundreds of surgical videos and detailed data. Surgeons typically
perform only 10 to 20 such operations a year, while the AI system has been
exposed to far more surgical procedures during its training.
Professor Hani
Marcus, who assisted with the operation, said the system could work like a
second set of expert eyes for surgeons.
He said the ability
to provide assistance during a live operation was what distinguished the
technology from other systems.
However, the
surgeons retained full control of the procedure at all times.
The researchers
ultimately hope to develop what they describe as a ChatGPT for surgery an
AI system that could advise surgeons during operations like a second specialist
in the room.
The technology was
developed following years of laboratory research funded by the National
Institute for Health and Care Research and Google.
Hibbert said the
technology had clear benefits from a patient-safety perspective.
We don’t have road
signs inside our heads, he said.
Describing his
recovery, Hibbert said that when he opened his eyes after surgery, he felt as
though he could see clearly in every direction.
I haven’t seen this
clearly for a year, he said.
He also said his
physical strength had returned and the side effects he had experienced before
the operation had disappeared.
It has given me my
life back, Hibbert said.
UK health
innovation minister James Frith welcomed the successful operation but stressed
that AI must be used with appropriate safeguards.
We will always
make sure safety is taken seriously, he said, adding that the government would
also ensure the opportunities created by AI could be used to improve healthcare.
The research team
is now preparing to test the technology on a larger scale.
Source: BBC
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Published Date : August 27, 2026
