Research Trends in Pain Management After Thoracoscopic Surgery (2015-2024): A Bibliometric Analysis

Thoracoscopic surgery, a representative minimally invasive approach in thoracic surgery, is increasingly employed. However, postoperative pain remains a significant barrier to recovery and quality of life. We aimed to quantitatively analyze research on postoperative pain following thoracoscopic surgery over the past decade; to identify the current research landscape, research hotspots, and future trends; and to provide a reference for future studies.

Publications on postoperative pain following thoracoscopic surgery from 2015 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science database. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix were used to analyze publication trends, journals, authors, institutions, countries, regions, and keywords.

The number of publications increased steadily between 2015 and 2024. China and the United States were the leading contributors, forming a global collaboration network with Europe. Major contributing institutions included Tongji Medical College, Guangzhou Medical University, and the Cleveland Clinic. Leading authors included Jianxing He, Hengrui Liang, and Ali Alagoz. Research areas spanned thoracic surgery, pain medicine, and anesthesiology. Frequently cited keywords were "pain," "rapid recovery," "analgesia," "pain management," "paravertebral nerve block," and "erector spinae plane block." Key research themes included multimodal analgesia, chronic pain, and quality of life.

Research on postoperative pain after thoracoscopic surgery has evolved from clinical observation to multimodal analgesia, making advancements toward precision medicine and long-term outcomes. Current research hotspots include optimizing analgesic strategies, understanding pain mechanisms, refining surgical techniques, and promoting rapid recovery. Promising areas include regional analgesia techniques, liposomal bupivacaine, chronic pain prevention, opioid-sparing strategies, and spontaneous ventilation anesthesia.