According to a leading neurosurgeon from the UK, brain surgery with the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, could be possible in the next two years. The help of AI could make the procedures more effective and safer.
Brain Surgery Challenges
The process of performing brian surgery is quite painstaking and precise. Straying movements as small as a millimeter could lead to many outcomes, including death.
When performing brain surgery, it is crucial to avoid the grape-sized pituitary gland. This gland is responsible for controlling all the hormones in the body. Any issues with the pituitary gland could result in blindness.
Neurosurgeon Hani Marcus, who is a consultant at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, explains that if one takes an approach that is too small, there is a risk of not sufficiently removing the tumor. However, if one goes too large, there is a risk of damaging crucial neural structures.
ALSO READ: AI Scientist? BacterAI May Run Up to 10,000 Microbial Experiments Daily and a Million Yearly
AI System For Brain Surgery
Given these critical challenges faced by neurosurgeons during brain surgery, this AI system in the works could be a healthcare game-changer in the UK. The AI system was made at the University College London and stresses tiny tumors and the brain's crucial structures, including the blood vessels at the brain's center.
Trainee UCL surgeons are now working with the AI system for brain surgery. For the past 10 months, the AI system has performed analysis on more than 200 videos focusing on pea-sized glands situated at the brain's center. This has enabled the technology to reach a certain degree of experience that is equivalent to a surgeon's 10 years' worth of expertise.
Healthcare Technology Advancements
The UK government has revealed funding plans equivalent to more than $15 million for boosting healthcare. It specifically focuses on the advancement of healthcare tech. UCL is part of the lineup of 22 universities that have been given funds for test purposes.
The Center for Interventional and Surgical Sciences at the UCL will be receiving more than $610,000 for this. The technology that is being created at the center is an AI-assisted framework for decision support that would help minimize complications and abnormalities as well as shorten the recovery time of patients.
The UK Secretary of State will see how this technology's early development could help with one of the most common brain tumor surgeries.
Viscount Camrose, the AI government minister, explains that AI is capable of massively boosting productivity. He adds that this technology could be a healthcare game-changer that could enhance everyone's outcomes and provide a promising future.
RELATED ARTICLE: Doctors Warn Against Using ChatGPT for Medical Advice; AI Chatbot Unreliable, Makes up Health Data
Check out more news and information on Tech & Innovation in Science Times.
