CWIG

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Accomodation

Hotels

We have secured room allocations at exclusive rates for participants of CWIG 2026 in several hotels across Leuven. To explore the available hotels and make your reservation, simply follow this link.

Rates shown via this booking link may appear higher than those on other accommodation platforms. This is because our negotiated rates include breakfast and flexible cancellation options, ensuring convenience and peace of mind for your stay.

Accommodation is typically paid for directly at the hotel. If you prefer your organization to prepay your stay, please select the ‘Prepayment Request’ option in the booking form. 

A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. Your card will not be charged unless you cancel after the applicable cancellation deadline.

Hostels

For budget travellers, there are 2 youth hostels in Leuven,  De Blauwput (https://www.jeugdherbergen.be/nl/leuven  ) and Leuven City Hostel (http://www.leuvencityhostel.com/home_nl/  ). Booking a room is possible by contacting them directly. 

B&B

There is a variety of cosy B&B’s in Leuven. You can find an overview here. (https://www.visitleuven.be/en/staying-over  ) 

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Registration

On this page:

 

Registration fees CWIG 2026

 

Early bird registration
(until 17 May 2026) 

Regular registration
(from 18 May 2026) 

Conference registration (3 days)

CWIG member 

€ 520 

€ 620

Conference registration (3 days)

Surgeons/Physicians - non-members

€ 620 

€ 720

Conference registration (3 days)

Other allied health professionals

€ 305 

€ 395

Conference registration (3 days)

Trainees*°

€ 305 

€ 395

Conference registration (3 days)

Medical Students++

€ 150 

€ 150

Conference registration (3 days)

Patient representatives

   € 50


Conference registration (One Day: 14 September 2026)
CWIG member

€ 225 

€ 250 

Conference registration (One Day: 14 September 2026)
non-CWIG member

€ 250 

€ 270 


Conference registration (One Day: 15 September 2026)
CWIG member

€ 225 

€ 250 

Conference registration (One Day: 15 September 2026)
non-CWIG member 

€ 250 

€ 270 


Conference registration (One Day: 16 September 2026)
CWIG member

€ 225 

€ 250 

Conference registration (One Day: 16 September 2026)
non-CWIG member 

€ 250 

€ 270 

Postgraduate course (Thursday 17 September 2026) 
Professional 

€ 0 

€ 0
complementary with conference attendence, but registration required 

Postgraduate course (Thursday 17 September 2026) 
Trainee 

€ 0 

€ 0
complementary with conference attendence, but registration required 

Welcome reception (Monday 14 September 2026) 

Included 

Conference dinner (Tuesday 15 September 2026) 

€ 110 

Welcome reception & Conference dinner
for accompanying persons 

€ 125 

Conference catering for accompanying persons 

€ 60 

 

Registration for the conference provides access to the conference sessions on the designated conference day(s) at the Maria Theresia College in the Leuven city center, as well as access to coffee breaks in morning and afternoon, provided lunch as well as to poster areas and the industry exhibit area.

Registration for the postgraduate course is to be accounted for seperate from the conference registration and encompasses access to the half-day skills session in the KU Leuven Vesalius anatomy institute and the half-day 'Masters@work' session on the UZ-KU Leuven Health Sciences campus, as well as coffee breaks and lunch.

 

 

General registration info 

  • All registration fees are VAT exempt based on article 44 § 2, 4° of the Belgian VAT directive. 
  • Registration fees are to be paid in Euros (€) by bank transfer, online payment or invoice. 
  • Please note the respective registration fees shall only be valid if registration is submitted and full payment is received by us by the respective deadline. If payment of the registration fee is received later than the early deadline registration, the respective next higher fee shall be due. 
  • Your registration is effective upon the receipt of full payment of the registration fee by us, i.e. only those participants having fully paid their registration fees will be entitled to participate in the conference. 
  • *° You are eligible for the trainee registration fee if you are a trainee in the academic year 2025-2026. Please send a proof of your supervisor tocwig2026@kuleuven.be to complete your registration in the trainee fee.
  • ++ You are eligible for the medical student registration fee if you are a trainee in the academic year 2025-2026. Please send a proof of your supervisor to cwig2026@kuleuven.be to complete your registration in the medical student fee.

Registration process 

  • To register, please complete our registration form. You can find our registration tool by clicking on the button above. 
  • The registration form consists of 7 steps: 
  • Step 1 - General information: please include your personal information on this page 
  • Step 2 - Promo code: this step is only relevant for keynote speakers, organizers and sponsors. If you did not receive any code from the organization, you may click on 'Next'. 
  • Step 3 - Select the fee that is applicable to your situation. 
  • Step 4 - Please select the social activities that you wish to attend. 
  • Step 5 & 6 - Accompanying persons: these steps are only relevant if you wish to bring your accompanying person along to the social activities. If not, please click on "Skip this step'. 
  • Step 7 - Payment information: in this final step, you can indicate your preferred method of payment (online payment, bank transfer or invoice). If you require an invoice, please select 'bank transfer' in the final step of your online registration and contact us at cwig2026@kuleuven.be. The invoice will be sent to you by email, including corresponding payment instructions. Please do not pay before receiving before receiving the invoice. 
  • You will receive a first email with an automatic confirmation that the registration has been received. This e-mail will also contain all payment details. All payments should be made in advance in Euro (EUR,€) within 14 days after your registration. 
  • If you did not receive these emails, the emails may have gotten stuck in your spam filter, or either your registration or payment was unsuccessful. Should this happen, contact us at cwig2026@kuleuven.be. 

Important invoicing information 

  • If you require an invoice, please select 'bank transfer' in the final step of your online registration and contact us at cwig2026@kuleuven.be. The invoice will be sent to you by email, including corresponding payment instructions. Please do not pay before receiving the invoice. 
  • If you have already paid your registration by credit card or bank transfer, you will still be able to receive a proof of payment, indicating the amount, however, it will no longer be possible to receive an official invoice. Therefore if you require an invoice, please contact us first and wait with your payment until you receive our invoice! 

Cancellation policy 

  • Until May 31, 2026: the registration fee will be refundable, with the exception of a € 50 handling fee. 
  • From June 1, 2026 until July 30, 2026: the registration fee will be 50% refundable, € 50 handling fee not included. 

From July 31, 2026 onwards: no refunds will be made. 

  • No refunds will be granted to non-attendees. 

 

-Registration opens January 5th 2026-
 

 

 

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CWIG 2026 Committees

Local organizing committee

♂ Dr. Hans Van Veer

Clinical lead chest wall program
Consultant thoracic Surgeon
UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

♀ Prof. dr. Yanina Jansen

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

♀  Dr. Lori van Roozendaal

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

♀ Prof. dr. Liesbeth Desender

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UZ Gent, Ghent, Belgium

♂ Dr. Frédéric Deryck

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UZ Gent, Ghent, Belgium

♀ Prof. dr. Valérie Lacroix

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UCL Woluwe, Brussels, Belgium

 

Scientific committee

For the local organizing committee

♂ Dr. Hans Van Veer

Co-program chair
Clinical lead chest wall program
Consultant thoracic Surgeon
UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

♀ Prof. dr. Yanina Jansen

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

♀ Dr. Lori van Roozendaal

Consultant thoracic Surgeon
UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

♀ Prof. dr. Liesbeth Desender

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UZ Gent, Ghent, Belgium

♀ Prof. dr. Valérie Lacroix

Consultant thoracic surgeon
UCL Woluwe, Brussels, Belgium

 

For CWIG

♀  Luzia Toselli, MD

CWIG Scientific committee chair

Pedro de Elizalde Children’ s Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina

♀ Dawn Jaroszewski, MD 

CWIG president

Mayo Clinic Phoenix, AZ, USA

♀ Lisa McMahon, MD

CWIG secretary, membership and guidelines chair

Phoenix Children’s, Phoenix, AZ, USA

♂ Marcelo Martinez-Ferro, MD

CWIG Development Committee chair 

Consultant Fundaçion Hospitalaria Hospital

Buenos, Aires, Argentina

 

♂ Manuel Lopez, M.D., Ph.D., H.D.R.

​CWIG Past President

Cleveland Clinic, OH, USA

 

   
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Program at a glance

-rotate your mobile device for a full overview-

CWIG
2026
schedule		 Mon sep 14 Tue sep 15 Wed sep 16 Thurs sep 17
congenital chest wall congenital chest wall trauma + reconstruction     postgraduate course
day 1 day 2 icw ESTS & CWIS     workshops
  MTC main hall
city center		 MTC upper
auditorium		 MTC main hall
city center		 MTC main hall
city center

MTC session rooms
level 01

  UZ -KU Leuven
Health Sciences Campus
               
8.00 Opening session   Women in pectus

Chest wall biomechanics for surgeons

Thoracic outlet syndrome

      
               
8.30 (1h) Keynote 1 pectus 1 cardiopectus 1 Keynote 5 pectus 5 Keynote 9 trauma 1  Allied Health 
session 1

 Patient peer
group meeting

 group A: hands on course
  PEx non-invasive tre atment cardiac pre correction Slipping rib sternal trauma     Vesalius lab
               
9.30 (30 m) Free papers 1   Free Papers 5 Free Papers 9     group B: masters @ work
  PE non-invasive papers   Slipping rib - miscellaneous papers trauma papers     Orchid auditorium (hospital)
               
10.00 Coffee break   Coffee break Coffee break     Coffee break
               
10.30 (1h30) Keynote 2 pectus 2 cardiopectus 2 Keynote 6 pectus 6 Keynote 10 trauma 2 Allied Health 
session 2		 joint with AH2 a.m. program cont'd
  PE treatment topics cardiac perop correction effects carinatum rib trauma      
               
12.00 (30m) Free Papers 2   Free Papers 6 Free Papers 10      
  PE treament papers   carinatum papers trauma papers 2      
               
12.30 Lunch   Lunch Lunch     Lunch
               
13.30 (1h) Keynote 3 pectus 3 cardiopectus 3 Keynote 7 pectus 7 Keynote 11 recon 1     group A: masters @ work
  Pex imaging and indices cardiac post correction effects Currarino-Silvermann - Arcuatum bony reconstruction     Orchid auditorium (hospital)
               
14.30 (30m) Free Papers 3   Free Papers7 Free Papers 11     group B: hands on course
  imaging papers   best papers resection case papers     Vesalius lab
               
15.00 Coffee break   Coffee break Coffee break     Coffee break
               
15.30 (1h30) Keynote 4 pectus 4 plenary with KN4 Keynote 8 pectus 8 Keynote 12 recon 2     p.m. program cont'd
  PE cardiac   911/112 session soft tissue & QoL      
               
17.00 (30m) Free Papers 4   Free Papers 8 Free Papers 12      
  cardiac papers   complication papers reconstruction papers      
               
18.00 End of day   End of day End of day     End of conference
               
19.00 Welcome reception   Conference diner        
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Venue

About the Venue and Leuven

All conferences are within easy reach from the city center (day 1-3) on foot or by a short public transport ride to the UZ-KU Leuven Health Sciences Campus Gasthuisberg (day 4).

leuven venue map

The conference venue (day 1-3)

The Symposium will take place at the Maria-Theresiacollege (Sint-Michielsstraat 6 | 3000 Leuven).

Maria-Theresia College is situated in the city centre of Leuven, a dynamic, vibrant city in the centre of Belgium. The city’s beautiful, charming centre, which dates from the Middle Ages, is punctuated with stately colleges and historic buildings constructed over centuries by and for the university. Cultural and recreational opportunities abound. Leuven’s concentration of intellectual capital, its excellent infrastructure and its convenient location in the heart of Europe create an exciting and creative climate for research and innovation.

Please note that the wheel chair entrance is via Sint-Michielsstraat 2 | 3000 Leuven.

Locate the venue through Google maps via this link.

mtc wide mtc upper

 

Postgraduate course (day 4)

The postgraduate course and skills lab will be held at the University Hospitals - KU Leuven Health Sciences Campus, also known locally as 'Gasthuisberg' (also as referenced to on the public transport signs), one of the largest medical tech campi in Flanders.

The 'Masters@Work' expert video sessions wil be held in Auditorium Orchidee, in the administrative building of the hospital.
The skills lab will be hosted at the 'Vesalius' Institute of the Anatomical skills lab of the KU Leuven, also situated on the campus.

Closer to the conference, participants will receive further guidance on how to reach the campus area and to the auditoria. 

GHBHSC

 

Social activities

 

hoorn The welcome reception will be held in the de Hoorn event venue, which used to be the old brewery of Stella Artois.

facultyclub2 The conference diner will take place in the Faculty Club, within the UNESCO recognised Grand Beguinage quarter of the city.

The city  

Since its founding, KU Leuven University has been based in the city that shares its name. Leuven is a pleasant, safe and bustling student town, where centuries-rich history meets cutting-edge science. The city of Leuven is located in the Dutch-speaking northern part of Belgium, approximately 25 kilometres east of Brussels. Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium and has nearly 100.000 inhabitants.

There are several good reasons for visiting this vibrant city. More information about the city and must-see places when you visit can be found on the official Tourism Leuven site. You will soon realise that this city has a way of getting under your skin. For more information on Leuven, please click here.

The University

Situated in Belgium, in the heart of Western Europe, KU Leuven has been a centre of learning for nearly six centuries. Founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V, KU Leuven bears the double honour of being the oldest extant Catholic university in the world and the oldest university in the Low Countries. Today, it is Belgium’s largest university. As a leading European research university and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), KU Leuven offers a wide variety of international master’s programmes, all supported by high-quality, innovative, interdisciplinary research. The university also offers degree programmes at campuses in 11 Belgian cities, including Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp.

Travel to Leuven

areamap leuven

By plane

Belgium is the heart of Europe. Belgium’s capital, Brussels, is accessible through many flight and train connections. Big European cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam or Berlin are close by. Scheduled flights to Brussels airport come from over 200 European and international destinations in 66 countries, allowing 500 million European inhabitants to reach us in less than 3 hours. The two airports closest to Leuven are:

  • Brussels National Airport (Zaventem) – BRU – Belgium: This is Belgium’s main airport, located only 20 minutes from Leuven city centre. There is a direct rail connection from the airport’s own train station (“Brussels National Airport”) to Leuven. The train station is located underneath the airport and is accessible through lifts and escalators in the arrivals hall. Several car hire companies also operate from Brussels Airport. For more information, visit these websites: www.brusselsairport.be and www.belgianrail.be.
  • Brussels South Airport (Charleroi) – CRL – Belgium: Leuven is a 1.5-hour train ride from Brussels South Charleroi Airport. Several car hire companies also operate from Charleroi Airport. For more information, visit this website. (https://www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com/en)

By train

  • From Leuven, it takes half an hour to reach Brussels South (Bruxelles Midi, Brussel Zuid) railway station. From there, you can catch high-speed rail connections to Paris, London, Amsterdam, Vienna and many other European destinations. The Leuven railway station is directly connected to the city centre via the Bondgenotenlaan (Allies Avenue), one of Leuven’s main streets. The walk from the station to the city centre is approximately 10 minutes.

By car

  • Leuven can be reached via the Brussels Ring and the E40 and E314 motorways. The historical center of Leuven is traffic-free. The rest of the city center is subdivided into 5 districts. In each district a loop directs traffic from the ring road to a city center parking garage and back to the ring road. We advise you to park your car in one of the more advantageous ring road car parks. Public transport buses drive regularly from the car parks to either the city center or the train station.More information about car parks in Leuven can be found here. (https://leuven.be/en/parking-leuven-0  ) 

By bus

  • An extensive bus network provides extra mobility within the city boundaries of Leuven.
  • The bus stop closest to the conference venues is Rector De Somerplein.

On foot

  • Leuven is a small-sized city, all locations are within walking distance. One of the most sustainable and healthy cities in Europe with traffic-free zones and outstanding cycling infrastructure.
  • Get your free city map here or at Visit Leuven, Naamsestraat 3, Leuven.

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Welcome to CWIG 2026!

Site updates

16.JUN.2026: the postgraduate course/Masters@work is now complementary within your conference registration, but upfront registration is required dor logistic reasons. Check the porstgraduate course program and registration page for more info!

15.JUN.2026: the interactive congress program is now available, including all key note speakers, free paper presenters and poster presenters

15.MAY.2026: the key note program is now available!

21.MAR.2026: new parallel session on Day 1: CardioPectus, welcoming everyone with an interest in pectus and cardiac implications! 

15.MAR.2026: meet the industry partners of CWIG 2026

10.MAR.2026: closure of the abstract submissions and start of the reviews

05.JAN.2026: registrations are open!

23.DEC.2025: abstract submissions platform is open!

CWIG 2026 flyer endnew lowres

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