Artificial intelligence applications in bone fractures: A bibliometric and science mapping analysis

Bone fractures are a common medical issue worldwide, causing a serious economic burden on society. In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of fracture has developed rapidly, especially in fracture diagnosis, where AI has shown significant capabilities comparable to those of professional orthopedic surgeons. This study aimed to review the development process and applications of AI in the field of fracture using bibliometric analysis, while analyzing the research hotspots and future trends in the field.

Studies on AI and fracture were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collections since 1990, a retrospective bibliometric and visualized study of the filtered data was conducted through CiteSpace and Bibliometrix R package.

A total of 1063 publications were included in the analysis, with the annual publication rapidly growing since 2017. China had the most publications, and the United States had the most citations. Technical University of Munich, Germany, had the most publications. Doornberg JN was the most productive author. Most research in this field was published in Scientific Reports. Doi K's 2007 review in Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics was the most influential paper.

AI application in fracture has achieved outstanding results and will continue to progress. In this study, we used a bibliometric analysis to assist researchers in understanding the basic knowledge structure, research hotspots, and future trends in this field, to further promote the development of AI applications in fracture.