Foreign Affairs

AI Tool Mapped Nerves During Brain Surgery That Saved A Man’s Eyesight

Jesper Sehested Pluslexia.com

A patient about to go blind had his brain tumor removed with the help of artificial intelligence in the first operation of its kind.

Doctors at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) in London operated on the patient, Rhys Hibbert, using an AI tool to analyze live surgical footage and highlight vital nerves and blood vessels to avoid while removing the tumor, the BBC reported Wednesday. This real-time AI video tool was designed in-house at University College London’s Hawkes Institute and runs on NVIDIA’s Clara IGX computer, according to a Thursday University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust announcement.

Preoperative MRI scans are routinely required before an endoscopic pituitary surgery, such as Hibbert’s operation, according to European neurosurgical guidelines.

“It is trained on more operations than most surgeons see or do in a lifetime and can act like an expert second pair of eyes,” Prof. Hani Marcus, the senior neurosurgeon responsible for the case, said, according to the BBC. Surgical resident Danyal Khan assisted Marcus with the surgery, the UCLH’ Thursday announcement said.

The AI technology used in the operation identifies anatomical structures similarly to the facial recognition function that smartphones use, BBC reported. The AI learned from hundreds of surgical videos, Dr. Sophia Bano, the technical lead for the AI system, said, according to the Guardian.

The UCL Hawkes Institute explained how AI is used in endoscopic pituitary surgeries in a March 2025 YouTube video.

“This is an example of AI at its best: patients getting care previously deemed unimaginable thanks to the latest groundbreaking technology,” James Frith, Health Innovation Minister, said, according to the UCLH announcement. “AI needs proper safeguards and we will always ensure that safety is taken seriously. But we will also ensure we benefit from the opportunities it brings to deliver faster and more effective care.”

American Cornerstone Institute, Health Innovation Minister James Frith and Prof. Hani Marcus each did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

“From a patient safety perspective, I can see absolutely the benefit. There are no road signs inside our head,” Hibbert said, according to the BBC.

“When I came round … I could see everything in the room clearly,” Hibbert said, the Guardian reported.

After roughly one week, Hibbert could walk independently without assistance or glasses, according to the Guardian. His surgery was performed in May, and he later returned to work in customer service.