About The ISPN Guide

The ISPN Guide makes it easy to navigate through its vast collection of information, allows users to save pages for quick reference, download content and much more besides. Features include:

• Free registration. The ISPN Guide is free to use, and registration only takes a minute.
• Clear navigation. Every page features breadcrumb navigation to show context, quick access to on-page sections, and a fully collapsible master navigation that shows all pages.
• Rich content. The ISPN Guide contains a wealth of imagery and instructional video to support its detailed written information.
• Downloadable PDFs. Every page can be downloaded as a PDF using a dedicated on-page tool.
• Fully searchable. Use the Search tool to easily search the entire ISPN Guide.
• Bookmarks. Save collections of bookmarks for easy, quick reference.
• A progressive web app (PWA). Install The ISPN Guide on your mobile device for quick access and automatic storing of visited pages for offline use.
• On-page references. The ISPN Guide is properly referenced throughout, and references now show on-page for greater convenience.
• Glossary. Hundreds of terms throughout the site show a dotted underline that indicates a handy on-page glossary feature.
• Multiple languages. The ISPN Guide has been written in English and is additionally available in a further nine (automatically translated) languages.
• The ISPN Shunt Guide. The leading online resource for hydrocephalic shunt valves, fixed differential pressure valves, anti-siphon valves, gravity activated valves, flow-control valves and adjustable valves.

Who created The ISPN Guide?

The ISPN Guide is a service created and provided by The International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN), the world’s foremost organization in this clinical field. The initiative to create The ISPN Guide was led by Professor Rick Abbott.

Who writes content for The ISPN Guide?

Every page of The Guide has been written, edited and reviewed by a team of physicians, practicing neurosurgeons and medical editors. See our team of authors and editors. If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers and contributing your expertise, please contact our Editor-in-Chief.

How do I access The ISPN Guide?

The Guide can be accessed on any web browser on any device. Access requires free registration. Register now.

Is The ISPN Guide free to use?

Yes, there is no payment required to use The ISPN Guide. If you are a frequent visitor, we ask you to consider making a donation to the ISPN. Donations help to pay for the continued operation and development of The ISPN Guide.

How do I bookmark pages?

Once you have registered and completed the quick survey required after registration, you will see a Bookmark button at the top and bottom of every page. Click this to add a page to your bookmarks collection. You can also create multiple folders of bookmarks. You will be notified via email when one of your bookmarked pages receives a significant update.

Can I download pages from The ISPN Guide for offline use?

Yes, The ISPN Guide provides this functionality. Once you have registered and completed the quick survey required after registration, you will see a Save as PDF button at the top and bottom of every page. This provides a choice of two types of PDF: Best for print (this creates a paginated PDF, optimized for print) and Best for screen (this will place all content on a single page, perfect for viewing on any device).

What is the web app and how do I use it?

The ISPN Guide works like any regular responsive website on all devices. In addition, it is available as a progressive web app (PWA) optimized for iOS and Android devices. This is the best version for mobile use because: it provides a faster, smoother experience; it automatically stores the pages you visit for offline use; and the full depth and breadth of The ISPN Guide’s content will always be just a tap away.

If you are a frequent user of The ISPN Guide, we strongly recommend that you install it on your mobile device. Just follow the on-screen prompt that appears when visiting The ISPN Guide from your mobile browser.

How can I delete my account?

To delete your account, please contact our webmaster, providing the email address used on your account, and request that your account is deleted. Please note that account deletion is final, and accounts cannot be restored. However, you are welcome to Register again in the normal way should you wish to use The ISPN Guide again.

In 2000 the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) established an official mission statement:

The International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (ISPN) seeks to promote the health of children throughout the world by encouraging the ethical transmission and exchange of neuroscientific information and techniques related to Pediatric Neurosurgery

This statement reflected a long-standing commitment for not only exchanging information among the Society’s membership but also educating medical professionals globally about the state-of-the art of pediatric neurosurgery. This was done by sponsoring educational courses throughout the world and providing faculty for such courses.

In 2008 the ISPN president, Dr. Rick Abbott, in his presidential address identified an alternative means for education, namely the internet. He observed that while a typical course educated 10–80 attendees, the internet could accomplish much more. He proposed creating a free-to-use, online resource with a textbook-level depth of knowledge, structured to allow rapid acquisition of information needed to address a clinical situation, but detailed enough for a professional requiring complete information about any condition a neurosurgeon could encounter in a child or adolescent.

The ISPN Guide to Pediatric Neurosurgery was established in 2010 and, over the years, has grown in its functionality and the extent of its content, thanks to authoritative volunteer physicians who have written its chapters, volunteer academic pediatric neurosurgeons who serve as its editors, and skilled medical editors who have maintained the high quality of its text.

Since 2017, The ISPN Guide has been designed, developed and maintained by Novagram, a London-based creative and digital agency. A refresh in 2022 brought greater functionality (see Features on this page) and significant mobile enhancements for our many visitors that need to check The Guide on-the-go.

The strength of The ISPN Guide’s website and the content developed by its authors, editors and website designers is reflected in its breath, depth and the over 8,000 viewers a month dependent on its content.