Professor Richard Bittar is an experienced Neurosurgeon and Spinal Surgeon who specialises in the treatment of spinal conditions, movement disorders and other intracranial conditions.

Professor Bittar was the first spinal surgeon in Victoria to carry out robotic spinal surgery, deep brain stimulation for Tourette’s, MR-guided focussed ultrasound for tremor, and stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumours. He is the only neurosurgeon in Australia who performs MR-guided focussed ultrasound for pain.

Professor Bittar obtained a PhD in Functional Brain Mapping, and undertook post-fellowship training in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery in Oxford. He has established and run several Deep Brain Stimulation and Psychosurgery services in Australia, has published dozens of scientific articles, and has presented his work at numerous national and international meetings. He employs a variety of minimally invasive, robotic and navigated surgical techniques to offer spinal and brain surgery as safely as possible.

Professor Bittar is a Clinical Professor at Deakin University, a highly regarded medico legal examiner, with a wealth of experience in assessing workers compensation, transport accident, public liability and medical negligence claims. He remains very active clinically, surgically and medicolegally.

He was the first surgeon in Victoria to perform:

• Robotic spinal surgery
• Deep Brain stimulation for Tourette’s, chronic pain, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder
• Stereotactic radiosurgery for brain tumours

Clinical Interest Include:

• Robotic spinal surgery
• Disc prolapse and spinal stenosis
• Deep brain stimulation
• Brain tumours

Spinal and Peripheral Nerve Surgery
• Cervical and lumbar spine surgery
• Keyhole and complex spinal surgery
• Spinal cord and occipital nerve stimulation
• Carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve surgery

Deep Brain Stimulation

• Parkinson’s disease
• Essential Tremor
• Tourette’s syndrome

Brain and Spinal Tumours

• Gliomas, Metastases, Meningiomas

Approach to Patient Care

• Compassionate care
• Quality clinical opinions

Education and Training

• MBBS (Hons) and PhD, The University of Sydney
• FRACS Neurosurgery
• Fellowship in Functional Neurosurgery, Oxford

Special Services

• Semi-urgent appointments
• Workcover and Motor Accident patients
• GP telephone advice

Learn more about Professor Bittar’s recent patient with Parkinson’s and his remarkable brain surgery journey >