Publication Activity on Liver Transplantation from Southeastern European Countries: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) has become a field with rich publication activity; however, there is a paucity of research regarding LT publications from southeastern European (SEE) countries. Understanding the factors that influence the publication output is essential to direct the research and to promote the publication of high-quality papers. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was performed in PubMed for articles published on LT-related clinical experience from 11 countries from the SEE region before 2020. Data included the number of publications, citations, journal (cumulative) impact factors (IFs) and first/senior author gender and profession. Results: 188 publications fitted the inclusion criteria. 25.5% of papers were published in journals without IFs. Most papers came from Greece (43.6%, 199.663 IFs), Romania (29.3%, 60.695 IFs) and Croatia (16%, 45.645 IFs). In the top three countries, first authors were dominantly male physicians. Senior authors were also mostly male (63.3-88%), with varying professions depending on the country (p=0.008). Conclusions: The overall LT publication activity from the SEE countries is modest. The authors of Greece are the most productive in the region. The high liver LT activity does not necessarily translate into high publication output. LT communities in the SEE countries should find solutions on how to increase research and publication output.