The 52nd Annual Meeting of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN 2026) comes to Cairo, Egypt from 7 to 11 October 2026, chaired by Professor Mohamed El Beltagy. The ISPN Annual Meeting is widely regarded as the premier international gathering in pediatric neurosurgery, and this edition marks a significant moment for the field in Africa and the Middle East — bringing the global pediatric neurosurgical community to a region where access to specialised paediatric neurosurgical care is expanding rapidly.
The scientific programme spans five days and is built around the full breadth of the subspecialty: hydrocephalus and CSF disorders, paediatric neuro-oncology, craniosynostosis and craniofacial reconstruction, spinal dysraphism, epilepsy surgery, vascular malformations, neurotrauma, and global neurosurgery. Sessions combine plenary lectures, platform presentations selected from submitted abstracts, oral flash and e-poster sessions, and interactive case-based discussions that reflect real operative decision-making rather than didactic review alone.
The invited faculty is deliberately international. Confirmed speakers include Giuseppe Cinalli (Santobono-Pausilipon Children's Hospital, Naples), Samer Elbabaa (Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, US), Johannes Enslin (University of Cape Town), Bermans Iskandar (University of Wisconsin), Robert Keating (Children's National Medical Center, Washington DC), Irene Mathijssen (Erasmus MC, Netherlands), Sabine Mueller (University of California), Kee B. Park (Harvard Medical School), Stefan Pfister (Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg), Sameh Saad Ali (Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt), Francesco Sala (University of Verona) and Edward R. Smith (Boston Children's Hospital).
Beyond the main scientific sessions, ISPN 2026 runs pre-congress courses, industry symposia and a dedicated Nursing Symposium, offered both in person on 8 October and in a virtual format so paediatric neurosurgical nurses who cannot travel can still take part. Abstract submission closed on 4 May 2026, with the Scientific Committee selecting the highest quality submissions for the Young Scientist Award — open to first-author presenters under 40, with the best platform and oral flash presentations awarded complimentary registration to the 53rd Annual Meeting in Taipei, Taiwan.
Registration includes access to all meeting sessions, the exhibition and poster areas, the mini programme and online CNS Journal access, catering as indicated in the programme, the welcome reception and the 52nd Society Annual Networking Dinner. Reduced rates apply for students, residents and nurses, and for delegates resident in low and lower-middle income countries under the World Bank classification. The meeting is organised by the Kenes Group as ISPN's congress secretariat.
For paediatric neurosurgeons, neurosurgical trainees, paediatric neurologists, neuro-oncologists and neurosurgical nurses across the Middle East and Africa, this is a rare opportunity to attend a first-tier international congress in the region rather than travelling to Europe or North America.
