Global Trends of Researches on Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Bibliometric and Visualization Study.

STUDY DESIGN

Bibliometric and visualization analysis.

OBJECTIVE

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) has become a common health problem and the most frequent indication for spinal surgery. This study aimed to illustrate the overall knowledge structure, and development trends of LSS, using a bibliometric analysis and newly developed visualization tools.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Research data sets were acquired from the Web of Science. The time span was defined as "2000-2019". VOS viewer and Citespace software was provided to analyze the data and generate visualization knowledge maps. Annual trend of publications, distribution, H-index status, co-authorship status and research hotspots were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 1934 publications met the requirement. The United States published most papers (521, 26.9%), both total citations (17,626) and H-index (61) ranked first of all the countries. The most productive organizations on LSS is Seoul National University (50). Spine (43) published the most papers on LSS. Quality of life, risk factor, disability, double blind trials, and decompression surgery are the research hotspots in the recent years.

CONCLUSION

The number of publications showed an upward trend with a stable rise in recent years. The United States is a country with the highest productivity, not only in quality, but also in quantity. Seoul National University has been the largest contributor in this field. Spine is the best journal related to LSS. Quality of life, risk factor, disability, and decompression surgery are the research hotspots in the recent years. Indeed, this study provides a new insight to the growth and development of LSS. Moreover, it will contribute to the growth of the international frontier of LSS.