A young man undergoing pioneering brain surgery was woken up during the operation and asked to sing and talk so surgeons could ensure this part of the brain was not harmed.
Reuben Hill, who is just 22 and a member of Imperial College choir, London, was having the last parts of a tumour removed when he was asked to sing.
He chose Matt Redman's popular worship song 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord): "Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, I'll still be singing when the evening comes."
Mr Hill, from Devon, who is studying for a PhD in physics at Imperial, uses the same laser technology the surgeons used in his studies. The iKnife was successful in detecting abnormal cells in the tumour during the operation. The technology means abnormalities can be detected right away without having to wait for a biopsy.
He told the BBC: "My inner scientist is fascinated. How often do people get to have things done to their own brain? Particularly when it is cutting edge."
He was diagnosed after he collapsed on his bedroom floor. He said: "It was a big surprise. I was a fit, healthy person and in the judo team."
In spite of the abnormalities, the tumour was found to be non-cancerous.
Kevin O'Neill, head of neurosurgery at Imperial, said the the new technologies will revolutionise brain surgery. "This is bringing the laboratory into theatre, giving a real-time molecular fingerprint of tissue. The potential is amazing, not just to differentiate between normal brain and tumour, but whether the patient is likely to respond to specific treatments."
The iKnife is also being trialled in breast, colon and ovarian cancer surgery.
In June last year, opera singer Ambrož Bajec-Lapajne sang Franz Schubert's Gute Nacht during his own brain surgery.
Advanced anaesthetics means patients can be kept awake while they are sedated. The brain does not feel pain so this is a particular advantage with brain surgery.
