Ates Tunahan, Sukur Ibrahim Halil, Ok Fesih, Arikan Mehmet Gurkan, Akdogan Nebil
Department of Urology, Defne State Hospital, Hatay, Turkey.
Department of Urology, Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
Urolithiasis. 2025 Jun 16;53(1):116. doi: 10.1007/s00240-025-01785-2.
The prevalence of kidney stone disease has been increasing globally, resulting in a rise in minimally invasive treatment methods. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS), extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), and endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (ECIRS) have become standard procedures. This study aims to evaluate global publication trends in this field over the last decade. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection database. A total of 3,693 articles published between 2015 and 2024 were analyzed. VOSviewer and Bibliometrix R package were used for data visualization, which included co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and thematic evolution mapping. However, this analysis did not differentiate between various author roles, which may have influenced the perceived scientific impact of certain researchers, potentially favoring those with strong political or organizational affiliations. China, Turkey, and the USA were the top contributors to publications, with the USA ranking first in total citations. The number of studies has significantly increased over the past decade, indicating a growing trend. The most studied procedures were PCNL and related techniques, followed by RIRS, which has become more popular due to advancements in laser technology and flexible ureteroscopy. Thematic analysis identified trends in postoperative outcomes, complication management, and predictive models for treatment success. Thematic evolution mapping showed a decline in SWL studies, but an increase in interest in ECIRS and multimodal approaches. Minimally invasive kidney stone treatments have advanced significantly, with PCNL remaining the gold standard for large stones and RIRS emerging as a competitive alternative. Future research should focus on optimizing surgical outcomes, integrating AI-based decision support systems, and expanding international collaborations to enhance patient care.
全球肾结石疾病的患病率一直在上升，导致微创治疗方法的增加。经皮肾镜取石术（PCNL）、逆行肾内手术（RIRS）、体外冲击波碎石术（SWL）和内镜联合肾内手术（ECIRS）已成为标准手术。本研究旨在评估过去十年该领域的全球发表趋势。使用科学网核心合集数据库进行了文献计量分析。分析了2015年至2024年期间发表的3693篇文章。使用VOSviewer和Bibliometrix R包进行数据可视化，包括共同作者网络、关键词共现分析和主题演变映射。然而，该分析没有区分不同的作者角色，这可能影响了某些研究人员的科学影响力认知，可能有利于那些具有强大政治或组织背景的人。中国、土耳其和美国是出版物的主要贡献者，美国在总被引次数方面排名第一。在过去十年中，研究数量显著增加，表明呈增长趋势。研究最多的手术是PCNL及其相关技术，其次是RIRS，由于激光技术和软性输尿管镜的进步，RIRS变得更受欢迎。主题分析确定了术后结果、并发症管理和治疗成功预测模型方面的趋势。主题演变映射显示SWL研究有所下降，但对ECIRS和多模式方法的兴趣有所增加。微创肾结石治疗取得了显著进展，PCNL仍然是大结石的金标准，而RIRS则成为一种有竞争力的替代方法。未来的研究应侧重于优化手术结果、整合基于人工智能的决策支持系统以及扩大国际合作以改善患者护理。
