Beyond the OR doors: presidential address to the 48th annual meeting of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN)

The role of neurosurgery in advancing pediatric CNS tumor care worldwide

“…In pediatric neurosurgery, a substantial number of cases attributed to traumatic brain injury, hydrocephalus, and neural tube defects, continues to place enormous pressure on the global neurosurgical workforce. According to a recent report from members of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN), hydrocephalus is the most commonly treated disease by pediatric neurosurgeons, with an estimated 400,000 cases occurring worldwide each year ( Dewan et al., 2018c ; Boop, 2022 ). For neurosurgeons in African, Latin American, and Southeast Asian countries, the compounding effects of high birth rates, infectious disease, and neural tube defects have led to a significant pediatric hydrocephalus case volume.…”