Trend and hotspots of progressive hemifacial atrophy: A bibliometric and visualization analysis

Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS), also known as progressive hemifacial atrophy (PHA),is a rare acquired disease that is characterized by progressive atrophy of hemifacial soft tissue, which leads to atrophy of bony structures in severe cases. This study presents the first bibliometric analysis of PHA literature to map its global research landscape.

Related articles were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Visual analysis of authors/countries/institutions/cited journals/keywords was performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer.

The U.S. led in total publications, followed by China and Italy. Among Chinese institutions, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Shanghai Jiao Tong University published most frequently. Stone J was the most influential author; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery was the most co-cited journal-forming the core of the knowledge network. Keyword clustering revealed three main research themes: surgical repair/reconstruction, neurological complications, and differential diagnosis/related diseases. The timeline and burst analysis show an evolution from early case reports toward etiology, pathogenesis, and differential diagnosis. Recently, fat transplantation-and its technical refinements-has emerged as a sustained hotspot; 3D digital analysis for precision surgery represents a new frontier.

A bibliometric analysis was conducted to characterize the existing literature to provide reference for scholars in related fields. It also explores future research trends of hemifacial atrophy, which provides a reference for project planning and experimental design.However, it is important to note that the reliance on a single database and the lack of experimental data limit the comprehensiveness and broader applicability of the findings.