Stemless reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: A bibliometric analysis from 2011 to 2026

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) treats rotator cuff-deficient shoulders. Stemless designs preserve humeral bone stock and reduce operative time. Interest in stemless RTSA has grown recently.

A literature search was performed in Scopus through February 21, 2026. Extracted data included publication metrics. Bibliometric visualization and knowledge mapping (co-authorship, co-citation, topic trends, thematic maps) were completed using the bibliometrix and biblioshiny packages. Outcomes included scientific output, institutional productivity, citation metrics, influential authors and journals, most cited documents, keyword patterns, and author productivity per Lotka's law.

A total of 129 articles on stemless RTSA were identified, accumulating 2003 citations. Publications rose steadily, with sustained growth observed after 2021 (P < .05). Citation counts showed a parallel rise (P < .05). The United States was the most productive country (26.86% of total publications), the University of Western Ontario the leading institution, and Abboud J.A. and Athwal G.S. the most prolific authors. The Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery was the most cited journal and demonstrated the highest h-index (h-index = 9).

Evidence for stemless RTSA is expanding and demonstrates international engagement but remains limited primarily to short- to mid-term outcomes. Larger, multicenter studies with longer follow-up are needed.