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Muhammad Abd-El-Barr

Professor of Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery

Overview


As a Neurosurgeon with fellowship training in Spine Surgery, I have dedicated my professional life to treating patients with spine disorders. These include spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, herniated discs and spine tumors. I incorporate minimally-invasive spine (MIS) techniques whenever appropriate to minimize pain and length of stay, yet not compromise on achieving the goals of surgery, which is ultimately to get you back to the quality of life you once enjoyed. I was drawn to medicine and neurosurgery for the unique ability to incorporate the latest in technology and neuroscience to making patients better. I will treat you and your loved ones with the same kind of care I would want my loved ones to be treated with. In addition to my clinical practice, I will be working with Duke Bioengineers and Neurobiologists on important basic and translational questions surrounding spinal cord injuries (SCI), which we hope to bring to clinical relevance.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Neurosurgery · 2024 - Present Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery
Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics · 2022 - Present Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments

In the News


Published September 18, 2020
Awake for Spinal Surgery

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Recent Publications


Overlay of Nerve Roots to Aid in Augmented Reality-Guided L4 to L5 Transforaminal Interbody Fusion: A Methodologic Pilot.

Journal Article Int J Spine Surg · November 3, 2025 BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive transfacet transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TF-TLIF) offers advantages over open approaches, including reduced tissue disruption and faster recovery. However, limited visualization increases the risk of neural injury, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prone transpsoas (PTP)-LLIF approach versus standard LLIF in patients undergoing surgical revision following adult spinal deformity correction surgery.

Journal Article J Clin Neurosci · November 2025 INTRODUCTION: Both the prone transpsoas (PTP) single-position lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) and standard (dual-position) LLIF enable minimally invasive (MIS) indirect decompression and deformity correction. Existing studies comparing the utility o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Single-position Prone Lateral Interbody Fusion is Associated With Improved Radiographic and Clinical Outcomes at One Year Compared With Single-position Lateral Interbody Fusion: A Single Institution Experience.

Journal Article Spine (Phila Pa 1976) · October 15, 2025 BACKGROUND: Recent studies highlight the increasing adoption of single-position prone lateral (SP-PL) and single-position lateral decubitus (SP-LD) in minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) to reduce operative time, enhance patient safety, and improve sur ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


2025 NACTN Registry

Clinical TrialCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation · 2024 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


Baylor, College of Medicine · 2009 MD./PhD.
University of Texas, Austin · 2002 M.S.
University of Toronto (Canada) · 2000 B.A.Sc.