Recent update on cerebral sparganosis: A bibliometric analysis and scientific mapping

Area of Science:

• Parasitology
• Neurology
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Human sparganosis can lead to cerebral sparganosis, a severe neurological condition.
• Diagnosis and treatment are challenging due to overlapping symptoms with other infections.
• Improved detection and management strategies are crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze research trends, identify key contributors, and highlight knowledge gaps in cerebral sparganosis.
• To examine diagnosis challenges, treatment options, and prevention strategies.
• To provide recommendations for future research and clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 139 documents from the Scopus database (June 2024).
• Data analysis using R package Bibliometrix (Biblioshiny) and VOSviewer.
• Examination of research trends from early studies to recent advancements (2010-2024).

Main Results:

• Research shows a 2.5% annual growth rate across 97 sources, with activity peaks in 2010-2011.
• Early research focused on diagnosis and parasites; recent studies emphasize clinical outcomes, treatments, and diagnostics.
• Trends indicate a shift towards advanced diagnostic imaging, immunoassays, and understanding the link to brain tumors.

Conclusions:

• Cerebral sparganosis research can enhance clinical practice through improved diagnostic accuracy and targeted screening.
• Treatment decisions can be better informed by understanding epidemiological risk factors.
• Further research is recommended in high-risk countries with similar characteristics to endemic regions, such as Indonesia.