Cranial reconstruction in the literature: A CiteSpace visualized bibliometric analysis

Cranioplasty (CP) research has shown that the material used for its bone flap formation is not standardized, with several viable options. The aim of this study was to explore the development of research in cranioplasty from a bibliometric perspective, with a focus on material choice, to elucidate trends in CP literature over time. Original studies and review articles on cranioplasty material related research were obtained from the Scopus database from 2014 to 2024. R package "bibliometrix" was used to summarize main findings, examine the occurrence of top keywords, and visualize collaboration networks between countries. VOSviewer software was applied to conduct both co-authorship and co-occurrence analyses, with CiteSpace used to identify the references and keywords with the strongest citation bursts. A total of 933 publications on cranioplasty material were included. An analysis of publication titles demonstrated an increase in CP for traumatic brain injury (TBI) post-2010 along with the growth of custom implants (i.e., "patient-specific"). Early citation bursts focused on the application of various materials, while later keywords concerned surgical complications and clinical outcomes. Several authors had significant bursts of contribution, and the United States was the largest contributor to the existing body of literature. This bibliometric study elucidated keyword trends as they relate to CP and material selection. It mapped a fundamental knowledge structure consisting of countries, institutions, authors, journals, and articles in the research field of cranioplasty material over the past ten years. The results provide a comprehensive perspective about the wider landscape of this research area.