Croatian Neurosurgical Society
The official national representative body establishing clinical protocols, regulating specialized training, and advancing the standards of cranial, spinal, and peripheral nerve surgery across Croatia.
HND is a member of EANS and WFNS
The Croatian Neurosurgical Society is a full member of EANS and WFNS
Society Leadership
Our executive committee comprises senior neurosurgeons dedicated to maintaining academic standards, coordinating national congresses, and reviewing clinical protocols.
President
Managing Board
Secretary
Miroslav Vukić - 2nd Vice-President
Marina Raguž - treasurer
Karlo Houra
Vlatko Ledenko
Dario Mužević
Hrvoje Šimić
Dario Josip Živković
Ivna Cvitković, dr. med.
email: office@hnd-hlz.hr
Sergej Marasanov
email: president@hnd-hlz.hr
First Vice-President
Nenad Kudelic
Historian
Bruno Splavski
Historical Timeline
Tracing decades of academic rigor and surgical development, from the initial clinical chairs to the modern national network of specialized neurosurgical departments.
A brief history of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society
Founding of the Society
The Croatian Neurosurgical Society was founded in 1992, after the Croatian neurosurgical community gained independence and left the Association of Neurosurgeons of Yugoslavia, in which Croatian neurosurgeons had been active since 1946.
The first president of the Society was Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivan Jeličić (1929–2012), head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zagreb. Professor Jeličić was the first Croatian neurosurgeon to train in the field of vascular neurosurgery under the renowned Prof. Gazi Yaşargil in Zurich. He introduced microsurgical techniques for operating on intracranial aneurysms to Croatian neurosurgery, and in 1985 he published a book on the subject in Croatian.
The first vice-presidents of the Society were Anto Matković and Lucijan Negovetić from Zagreb, Ettore Martinez from Rijeka, Đuro Vranković from Osijek and Miro Jurinović from Split. Pavle Miklić and Velimir Lupret were elected secretaries, and Ranko Broz was elected first treasurer. Among the members of the founding board was Bruno Splavski, later a long-standing member of the Board of Directors, Vice-President of the Society for two terms, and the Society's historian.
International recognition
The Croatian Neurosurgical Society became a full member of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) in October 1993, during the 10th Congress of the WFNS in Acapulco, Mexico. The EANS Board of Directors, chaired by Prof. Mario Brock, unanimously accepted the request of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society for full membership.
The first regular annual meeting of the Society was held in Osijek in April 1993, when the first anniversary of the establishment of the independent Department of Neurosurgery at the Osijek Hospital Center was also celebrated.
The first elective assembly was held in March 1995 at the Croatian Medical Association in Zagreb. Velebit Iveković (1934–1998) was elected president, Lucijan Negovetić as first vice-president, Pavle Miklić as secretary, and Ranko Broz as treasurer.
Society Congresses
The first congress of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society was held in November 1996 in Zagreb. The main topics were traumatic brain injuries, with special emphasis on craniocerebral injuries sustained during the Homeland War.
The following were held:
2nd Congress, Opatija, 1999
3rd Congress, Zagreb, 2002
4th Congress, Zagreb, 2005
5th Congress, Dubrovnik, 2008
6th Congress, Opatija, 2011
7th Congress, Zagreb, 2014
8th Congress, Split, 2017
9th Congress, Petrčane, 2023
The fifth Congress in Dubrovnik was the first congress of the Society where the official language was English, and the partner organization was the Congress of Neurological Surgeons from the United States of America. At the sixth Congress in Opatija, the partner organization was the Slovenian Neurosurgical Society, while the eighth Congress in Split was held in cooperation with the Italian Society for Neurosurgery – SINch.
The ninth Congress was originally planned for 2020, but was postponed until October 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Petrčane Congress established a new format for a trilateral meeting of Croatian, Czech and German neurosurgeons.
Presidents and development of the Society
Josip Paladino was elected President of the Society in 1998 and held this position for three consecutive terms.
In 2009, Krešimir Rotim was elected President, and Darko Chudy was elected First Vice President. A new Board, with President Miroslav Vukić and First Vice President Bruno Splavski, was elected in 2013. Miroslav Vukić was re-elected President in 2018, when Krešimir Rotim was elected First Vice President. Both were re-elected at the Electoral Assembly held in March 2022.
The current leadership of the Society was elected at the Electoral Assembly held in March 2026, for a four-year term.
Three decades of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its founding, a special anniversary symposium was held in November 2022. The meeting was attended in person or via video link by former and current presidents of EANS, the president of WFNS, and numerous other prominent representatives of European and world neurosurgery. Many of them are honorary members of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society.
During more than three decades of the Society's activity, neurosurgical activity has developed in all parts of Croatia. In addition to large university and clinical centers in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, and Osijek, regional neurosurgical centers have been established in Slavonski Brod, Varaždin, Pula, Zadar, and Dubrovnik.
Croatian neurosurgery today operates in accordance with modern European professional and technological standards. The Croatian Neurosurgical Society continues to promote the advancement of the profession, professional excellence, education, international cooperation, and the application of the latest findings in neuroscience in everyday clinical practice.
Historical Timeline
Tracing decades of academic rigor and surgical development, from the initial clinical chairs to the modern national network of specialized neurosurgical departments.
A brief history of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society
Founding of the Society
The Croatian Neurosurgical Society was founded in 1992, after the Croatian neurosurgical community gained independence and left the Association of Neurosurgeons of Yugoslavia, in which Croatian neurosurgeons had been active since 1946.
The first president of the Society was Prof. Dr. Sc. Ivan Jeličić (1929–2012), head of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zagreb. Professor Jeličić was the first Croatian neurosurgeon to train in the field of vascular neurosurgery under the renowned Prof. Gazi Yaşargil in Zurich. He introduced microsurgical techniques for operating on intracranial aneurysms to Croatian neurosurgery, and in 1985 he published a book on the subject in Croatian.
The first vice-presidents of the Society were Anto Matković and Lucijan Negovetić from Zagreb, Ettore Martinez from Rijeka, Đuro Vranković from Osijek and Miro Jurinović from Split. Pavle Miklić and Velimir Lupret were elected secretaries, and Ranko Broz was elected first treasurer. Among the members of the founding board was Bruno Splavski, later a long-standing member of the Board of Directors, Vice-President of the Society for two terms, and the Society's historian.
International recognition
The Croatian Neurosurgical Society became a full member of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) in October 1993, during the 10th Congress of the WFNS in Acapulco, Mexico. The EANS Board of Directors, chaired by Prof. Mario Brock, unanimously accepted the request of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society for full membership.
The first regular annual meeting of the Society was held in Osijek in April 1993, when the first anniversary of the establishment of the independent Department of Neurosurgery at the Osijek Hospital Center was also celebrated.
The first elective assembly was held in March 1995 at the Croatian Medical Association in Zagreb. Velebit Iveković (1934–1998) was elected president, Lucijan Negovetić as first vice-president, Pavle Miklić as secretary, and Ranko Broz as treasurer.
Society Congresses
The first congress of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society was held in November 1996 in Zagreb. The main topics were traumatic brain injuries, with special emphasis on craniocerebral injuries sustained during the Homeland War.
The following were held:
2nd Congress, Opatija, 1999
3rd Congress, Zagreb, 2002
4th Congress, Zagreb, 2005
5th Congress, Dubrovnik, 2008
6th Congress, Opatija, 2011
7th Congress, Zagreb, 2014
8th Congress, Split, 2017
9th Congress, Petrčane, 2023
The fifth Congress in Dubrovnik was the first congress of the Society where the official language was English, and the partner organization was the Congress of Neurological Surgeons from the United States of America. At the sixth Congress in Opatija, the partner organization was the Slovenian Neurosurgical Society, while the eighth Congress in Split was held in cooperation with the Italian Society for Neurosurgery – SINch.
The ninth Congress was originally planned for 2020, but was postponed until October 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Petrčane Congress established a new format for a trilateral meeting of Croatian, Czech and German neurosurgeons.
Presidents and development of the Society
Josip Paladino was elected President of the Society in 1998 and held this position for three consecutive terms.
In 2009, Krešimir Rotim was elected President, and Darko Chudy was elected First Vice President. A new Board, with President Miroslav Vukić and First Vice President Bruno Splavski, was elected in 2013. Miroslav Vukić was re-elected President in 2018, when Krešimir Rotim was elected First Vice President. Both were re-elected at the Electoral Assembly held in March 2022.
The current leadership of the Society was elected at the Electoral Assembly held in March 2026, for a four-year term.
Three decades of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of its founding, a special anniversary symposium was held in November 2022. The meeting was attended in person or via video link by former and current presidents of EANS, the president of WFNS, and numerous other prominent representatives of European and world neurosurgery. Many of them are honorary members of the Croatian Neurosurgical Society.
During more than three decades of the Society's activity, neurosurgical activity has developed in all parts of Croatia. In addition to large university and clinical centers in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, and Osijek, regional neurosurgical centers have been established in Slavonski Brod, Varaždin, Pula, Zadar, and Dubrovnik.
Croatian neurosurgery today operates in accordance with modern European professional and technological standards. The Croatian Neurosurgical Society continues to promote the advancement of the profession, professional excellence, education, international cooperation, and the application of the latest findings in neuroscience in everyday clinical practice.
