History of pediatric neurosurgery in Latin America: the early years.

PURPOSE: Pediatric neurosurgical history in Latin America possesses rich and fascinating origins; the large number of neurosurgical societies that form the continent and the inspiring achievements of the pioneers in the field in every single Latin American country are described here. This unique text explores the aspects of this neurosurgical specialty since its beginnings by neurosurgeons trained outside Latin America, who brought the pediatric practice to their home countries, writing a new chapter in the neurosurgical history, constructing the foundations for the present pediatric practice and the few fellowships found in the continent.

METHODS, RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A formal search was performed in PubMed, Embase, and national libraries focused on the historical and biographical aspects of pioneers' pediatric neurosurgeons of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador, with an important session that describes the fellowships' opportunities in pediatric neurosurgery found in the continent, dividing all the programs according to the countries that offer the subspecialty education.