- Fellowship - UT Southwestern/Children's Medical Center (2012-2013), Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Residency - Hospital da Baleia (2000-2004), Neurological Surgery
- Medical School - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais (1991-2000)
- Internship - Hospital Das Clinicas UFMG , Belo Horizonte, MG (1998-1999), Rotating
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Bruno Braga, M.D.
- Neurological Surgery
- Pediatric Brain Tumors
Biography
Bruno Braga, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery and Pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Dr. Braga has specialty training in all areas of pediatric neurosurgery; he focuses primarily on spinal diseases, brain tumors, traumatic brain and spinal injuries, hydrocephalus, and vascular diseases.
He has special expertise in decompression and instrumentation of the spine to treat traumatic and congenital diseases, microsurgery for removal of brain tumors, endoscopic surgery, and microsurgery for resection of AVM or cavernomas.
Dr. Braga earned his medical degree from Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; he completed his residency in neurological surgery at the Hospital da Baleia in Belo Horizonte, where he served as an attending neurosurgeon for nine years before he undertook a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at UT Southwestern Children's Medical Center. He joined the faculty of UT Southwestern in January 2014.
He is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery.
Meet Dr. Braga
Pediatric Neurosurgery in Dallas
Bruno Braga, M.D., engages in every aspect of neurological and spinal disorders care for his patients. While neurosurgeons who treat adults generally focus in only one area, Dr. Braga deals with all of them.
“Pediatric neurosurgery is unique in its ability to take care of all types of neurosurgical problems, including venous or arterial diseases, traumatic injuries, spinal problems, movement disorders, seizure disorders, and tumors,” Dr. Braga says.
Dr. Braga was drawn to this field because of the breadth of techniques it requires, but also because of the difference, he’s able to make in the lives of his young patients.
Spinal disease, for example, can be a most devastating condition; patients are at risk of losing the movement and sensation of the limbs, the ability to control their bodily functions, even the capacity to breathe on their own. But Dr. Braga offers hope.
“With appropriate and timely treatment, these dreadful problems can be avoided or reverted,” Dr. Braga says.
Operating on spines that are still developing is a delicate skill. Implanting rods and screws in still-growing spines can have serious implications for a child’s growth and mobility.
“We sometimes need to put instruments such as screws into the bones of the spine, which in children can be very small,” he says. “Sometimes the screws are larger than the bone itself.
And there are important blood vessels, nerves, and the spinal cord right there. The margin for error is very small.”
Microsurgery for removal of brain tumors is another one of Braga’s passions. He and his colleagues in the pediatric brain tumor program work with radiologists, oncologists, and radiation oncologists to choose the most appropriate treatment option for each child. If an operation is the way to go, they combine surgical expertise with the latest navigation techniques that allow for safe removal of the tumor and preservation of the surrounding brain function.
A multidisciplinary approach and new technology can make a difference in survival and quality of life not only for children with brain tumors, but also for every neurosurgical problem his group sees, Dr. Braga says.
“Our group provides excellent care in part because we all have specialty training that allows us to treat any neurological problem out there, and in part, because we have support from our UT Southwestern colleagues in oncology, neurology, the ICU, and our excellent nurses.”
Dr. Braga believes that it’s important to spend time with his patients and their families before – and after – deciding on the best treatment.
“After their surgeries, I follow my patients for as long as I think they need. If all I pay attention to is the initial outcome of a surgery, then I’m just a technician. I want to know that what I’m doing has made a positive difference in that young one’s life. That’s what is important to me,” he says.
Education & Training
Professional Associations & Affiliations
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery
Honors & Awards
- D Magazine Best Doctor 2022
- D Magazine Best Pediatric Specialist 2021
- International Fellow 2019, American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Books & Publications
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Publications
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Dynamic compression in vertebral artery dissection in children: apropos of a new protocol.
Braga BP, Sillero R, Pereira RM, Urgun K, Swift DM, Rollins NK, Hogge AJ, Dowling MM, Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery 2021 04 37 4 1285-1293 -
Development of best practices in the utilization and implementation of pediatric cervical spine traction: a modified Delphi study.
Alexiades NG, Shao B, Braga BP, Bonfield CM, Brockmeyer DL, Browd SR, DiLuna M, Groves ML, Hankinson TC, Jea A, Leonard JR, Lew SM, Limbrick DD, Mangano FT, Martin J, Pahys J, Powers A, Proctor MR, Rodriguez L, Rozzelle C, Storm PB, Anderson RCE, Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics 2021 Apr 1-12 -
Margin-Free Fractionated Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Brain Tumors.
Mohamad O, Wardak Z, Bowers DC, Le AH, Dan T, Abdulrahman R, Gargan L, Klesse L, Weprin B, Swift D, Price A, Ding C, Stojadinovic S, Sklar F, Braga B, Timmerman R, Practical radiation oncology 2020 Nov - Dec 10 6 e485-e494 -
Pediatric Cervical Spine Clearance: A Consensus Statement and Algorithm from the Pediatric Cervical Spine Clearance Working Group.
Herman MJ, Brown KO, Sponseller PD, Phillips JH, Petrucelli PM, Parikh DJ, Mody KS, Leonard JC, Moront M, Brockmeyer DL, Anderson RCE, Alder AC, Anderson JT, Bernstein RM, Booth TN, Braga BP, Cahill PJ, Joglar JM, Martus JE, Nesiama JO, Pahys JM, Rathjen KE, Riccio AI, Schulz JF, Stans AA, Shah MI, Warner WC, Yaszay B The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume 2019 Jan 101 1 e1 -
Growth and alignment of the pediatric subaxial cervical spine following rigid instrumentation and fusion: a multicenter study of the Pediatric Craniocervical Society.
Goldstein HE, Neira JA, Banu M, Aldana PR, Braga BP, Brockmeyer DL, DiLuna ML, Fulkerson DH, Hankinson TC, Jea AH, Lew SM, Limbrick DD, Martin J, Pahys JM, Rodriguez LF, Rozzelle CJ, Tuite GF, Wetjen NM, Anderson RCE Journal of neurosurgery. Pediatrics 2018 Apr 1-8 -
Fluoroscopy only for the placement of long iliac screws: A study on 14 patients.
Vilela MD, Braga BP, Pedrosa HAS Surgical neurology international 2018 9 108 -
Dynamic Arterial Compression in Pediatric Vertebral Arterial Dissection.
Rollins N, Braga B, Hogge A, Beavers S, Dowling M Stroke 2017 Apr 48 4 1070-1073 -
Long iliac screw fixation in a case of isthmic spondyloptosis.
Vilela MD, Braga BP, Pedrosa HAS Surgical neurology international 2017 8 110 -
Craniectomy and Traumatic Brain Injury in Children on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Anton-Martin P, Braga B, Megison S, Journeycake J, Moreland J Pediatric emergency care 2016 Oct -
Management of infectious intracranial aneurysms in the pediatric population.
Flores BC, Patel AR, Braga BP, Weprin BE, Batjer HH Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery 2016 May -
Free-hand placement of high thoracic pedicle screws with the aid of fluoroscopy: evaluation of positioning by CT scans in a four-year consecutive series.
Braga BP, de Morais JV, Vilela MD Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2010 Jun 68 3 390-5 -
Normal hearing after resection of a large vestibular schwannoma.
Braga BP, Cabral-Filho G, Vilela MD Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2008 Dec 66 4 910-2 -
Lumbopelvic fixation and sacral decompression for a U-shaped sacral fracture: case report.
Vilela MD, Jermani C, Braga BP Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2007 Sep 65 3B 865-8 -
C1 lateral mass screws for posterior segmental stabilization of the upper cervical spine and a new method of three-point rigid fixation of the C1-C2 complex.
Vilela MD, Jermani C, Braga BP Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2006 Sep 64 3B 762-7 -
Cavernous malformations of the brainstem in infants. Report of two cases and review of the literature.
Braga BP, Costa LB, Lemos S, Vilela MD Journal of neurosurgery 2006 Jun 104 6 Suppl 429-33 -
Surgical treatment of intracranial aneurysms: six-year experience in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Costa Jr LB, Morais JV, Andrade Ad, Vilela MD, Pontes RP, Braga BP Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2004 Jun 62 2A 245-9 -
Magnetic resonance imaging of cerebellar schistosomiasis mansoni.
Braga BP, da Costa Junior LB, Lambertucci JR Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 2003 Sep-Oct 36 5 635-6 -
Cauda equina hemangioblastoma: case report.
da Costa LB, de Andrade A, Braga BP, Ribeiro CA Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria 2003 Jun 61 2B 456-8
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Dynamic compression in vertebral artery dissection in children: apropos of a new protocol.
Clinical Focus
- Pediatric Brain Tumors
Q&A by Dr. Braga
Results: 2 Locations
Children's Medical Center of Dallas
1935 Medical District DriveDallas, Texas 75235 214-730-5437 Directions to Children's Medical Center of Dallas
Pediatric Neurosurgery
at UT Southwestern Pediatric Group at Plano 7609 Preston Road, 3rd FloorPlano, Texas 75024 214-456-6660 Directions to Pediatric Neurosurgery Parking Info for Pediatric Neurosurgery