Global research trends of peripheral nerve surgery: a bibliometric and visualized analysis

Peripheral nerve surgery is an emerging research field gaining attention from neurosurgeons. However, a bibliometric analysis has yet to be conducted in this area. This study aims to visualize the hot spots and trends in publications of peripheral nerve surgery through bibliometric analysis, offering insights into potential future research directions. We analyzed all English-language publications (articles and reviews) on peripheral nerve surgery available in the Web of Science Core Collection from 1967 to 2024. The bibliometrix package, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace were used for visual network analyses of key indicators, including institutions, countries/regions, journals, authors, keywords, and references. Additionally, country maps were created by Scimago Graphica. A total of 605 papers were incorporated in the analysis. The number of publications and citations related to peripheral nerve surgery has increased annually. These publications originated from 947 institutions across 62 countries/regions, with the United States leading. The Mayo Clinic emerged as the most influential institution, while Anesthesia and Analgesia was identified as the journal with the highest number of publications in this area. We identified 2,963 authors, with Ilfeld. brian m. being the most prolific and frequently cited. Keyword cluster analysis revealed four clusters, indicating that surgery and treatment methods, injuries and complications, pain management, and nerve regeneration and repair will be key research hotspots moving forward. Peripheral nerve surgery is a rapidly growing field. Future research is expected to focus on topics related to surgery, injury, and pain management and recovery. Clinical trial number Not applicable.