Overview
- The procedure was reported in early September and took place in a London neurosurgery hospital as part of a clinical trial of the technology.
- The patient, 48‑year‑old Rhys Hibbert from Bedfordshire, had an 11 mm benign pituitary tumor that was pressing on his optic nerves and affecting peripheral vision.
- During the endoscopic transnasal operation the AI analyzed the live surgical video to track instruments, identify vessels and nerves, and highlight areas deemed safer to resect.
- Surgeons retained control throughout the case, removed most of the tumor and reported preservation of the patient’s vision as the immediate outcome.
- The model was trained on hundreds of annotated pituitary surgery videos and researchers say further trial data, validation of safety and checks on generalizability are the next steps before wider use.