Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is with great pleasure to announce the 2026 Annual Postgraduate Course (13th cycle – 2nd year) of the European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ESPN) to be held in Porto Gaia, Portugal, between 20-25 April 2026, on site.

Spinal dysraphisms, spine and spinal cord tumors, cranio-vertebral junction anomalies, vascular malformations, craniosynostoses and sellar/suprasellar tumors are the main topics of the 2026 course. Moreover, peripheral nerve surgery has been introduced as new topic in an ESPN course.
As usual, all of them will be treated in the typical informal atmosphere in order to stimulate interactions between the academia and the trainees. The newcomers will feel like a part of our special world from the beginning. The format of the course has been further changed to leave more space to the discussion, as specifically requested by the trainees in the previous courses.

The ESPN courses have generated, year after year, increasing friendship bonds among European pediatric neurosurgeons and have contributed to their education by means of lectures, videos presentations and practical hands-on sessions carried out by excellent international experts. The courses also provide a unique opportunity for scientific debate, as well as for sharing personal lifelong experiences.

For the first time, an ESPN course is hosted in Portugal! The event will take place in the Holiday Inn Porto Gaia, which is in Vila Nova de Gaia, a 7-minute drive from the historic Porto center.

We look forward to welcoming all of you in Porto Gaia, Portugal, in 2026!