Bruno Perocco Braga, MD
- Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Associate Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Languages spoken: English, Portuguese, Spanish
- Locations (2)
Biography
For Bruno Braga, M.D., commitment goes beyond working as a pediatric neurosurgeon on the day of surgery.
“One of the best things is that I’m able to develop long-term relationships with patients and their parents,” he says. “There’s a connection and a feeling that we’re in it together. There’s a strong sense of teamwork.”
A significant part of Braga’s career has been studying the development and mechanics of the spine. Some of his procedures have included surgery on tumors, fractures, and birth abnormalities. Dr. Braga is skilled at using decompression to remedy narrowing of the spinal canal. He also can perform instrumentation of the spine, which keeps the spine rigid and corrects instability and deformity. And whenever indicated, he can also use minimally invasive techniques.
All of this has made Dr. Braga a world-renowned expert at treating spinal diseases. He’s made it his mission to use his skills to successfully treat these conditions, which, at times, can be painful and incapacitating. Sometimes spine conditions are so debilitating that the patient has the potential to lose movement in many functions — including their limbs, bowel movements, and even the ability to breathe.
Dr. Braga also has a special interest in neurological treatment of brain tumors. He uses a combination of micro anatomical, surgical, and navigation techniques to remove tumors and preserve the surrounding brain function. He collaborates with radiologists, oncologists, and radiation oncologists to choose the best treatment — which he combines with the latest technology.
“A multidisciplinary approach and new technology can make a difference in the quality of life and survival time of the patient,” he says. “But equally as important is dedication to sharing as much as I can with families of my patients, so a patient can feel a strong sense of support.”
Bruno Braga 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 attended medical school at Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He completed his internship at the Hospital das Clínicas da UFMG in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; his residency at the Hospital da Baleia in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; and his fellowship at the Children’s Health℠ at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He’s a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery.
When he’s not working, Dr. Braga enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis, snowboarding, watching movies, and learning new languages.
“A multidisciplinary approach and new technology can make a difference in the quality of life and survival time of the patient.”
Dr. BragaEducation and Training
- Medical School
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (2000)
- Residency
- Hospital da Baleia (2004), Neurosurgery
- Fellowship
- UT Southwestern - Children's Medical Center (2013), Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Conditions Treated
- Achondroplasia (dwarfism)
- Anaplastic astrocytoma
- Arachnoid cyst
- Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT)
- Bow hunters syndrome (BHS)
- Brain abscess
- Cavernous malformations
- Cerebrovascular disease and stroke
- Chiari malformation
- Craniopharyngioma
- Encephalocele
- Ependymoma
- Glioblastoma
- Head trauma
- Hemorrhagic dtroke
- Hydrocephalus
- Lipomas (skin lesions)
- Medulloblastoma
- Neurofibromatosis (NF)
- Pilocytic astrocytoma
- Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA)
- Spina bifida
- Spinal cord injury
- Spinal trauma
- Tethered spinal cord
- Ventriculomegaly