Surgeons at St Mark’s Hospital in London are among the first to use a new artificial intelligence system in inflammatory bowel disease surgery—one that colour codes internal anatomy during live surgery.
The technology, known as the Eureka system, analyses the surgical field in real time and overlays colours onto structures such as nerves, connective tissue, and other critical anatomical features. By doing so, it aims to enhance precision, reduce the risk of accidental injury, and support surgeons during complex procedures.
The procedure, for inflammatory bowel disease, was a bowel resection on a woman in her 60s at the National Bowel Hospital, part of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.
Developed by a team of surgeons in Japan, the Eureka system has been trained on thousands of annotated surgical videos. This allows the AI to recognise subtle structures that may be difficult to distinguish with the naked eye—especially in minimally invasive or robotic procedures. The system was officially launched in the UK at the 10th Portsmouth Colorectal Congress, where Professor Jim Khan used the technology during live robotic surgery.
During the operation, the system projected colour overlays onto the live surgical feed. For example, nerves might appear in green, connective tissue in turquoise, and other structures in distinct hues. Surgeons could choose to keep the overlay constant or have it pulse intermittently depending on the stage of the procedure.
Consultant Surgeon Mr Kapil Sahnan
Consultant colorectal surgeon Mr Kapil Sahnan, who led the operation, described the tool as akin to having an “extra arm” in the operating theatre—one that continuously analyses the surgical field and highlights potential hazards before they become problems.
The introduction of real time AI guidance marks a significant shift in how surgeons may navigate anatomy in the future. Mr Sahnan compared the leap to the transition from paper road atlases to modern digital navigation apps—an evolution from static reference to dynamic, moment by moment support.
The hope is that such technology will reduce complications, shorten operating times, and improve outcomes across a wide range of procedures. Early use suggests the system can identify structures faster than the human eye, offering a safety net during intricate dissections.
St Mark’s Hospital is one of the sites helping to evaluate the system’s impact as its use develops. While still in its early stages, the technology has the potential to become a standard tool in operating theatres worldwide.
If adopted at scale, AI assisted visualisation could represent one of the most significant advances in surgical safety in decades—bringing a new level of clarity to some of the most challenging moments in modern medicine.
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