Global trends and insights of telesurgery research: a bibliometric analysis of publications since the 21st century.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, telesurgery has shown a rapid development trend as an innovative surgical technique, and been applied to the clinical treatment of various tumor diseases. However, the current research on telesurgery is still relatively fragmented, lacking a systematic summary of its development and future directions. Addressing these limitations is crucial for advancing the application of this novel surgical technology.

METHODS

This bibliometric study of publications related to telesurgery that were indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2000 to 2024. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Bibliometrix were used to analyze and visually represent the gathered data, and the relevant content was presented according to the BIBLIO guidelines.

RESULTS

We researched 565 publications across 269 journals authored by 2422 individuals affiliated with 917 institutions spanning 62 countries. Notably, the United States leads in the number of publications, with China also making noteworthy contributions. Kyushu University and the University of Washington emerge as prominent institutions in terms of research output within this domain. Analysis of document co-occurrence and co-citation reveals that Jacques Marescaux from France holds the top position globally among authors and wields significant influence in this field. Keyword analysis indicates that key future research directions in this area include mitigating latency issues in telesurgery, integrating advanced network communication technologies, and enhancing the performance of telesurgical robots. Furthermore, ethical and legal issues associated with telesurgery may emerge as critical challenges to be addressed for its further expansion and application.

CONCLUSION

This research provides an overview of telesurgery research findings, encompassing the evolution of research priorities in telesurgery. The study anticipates that the secure implementation and broader adoption of telesurgery will bring more benefits to patients on a global scale.