Global research trends in robot-assisted hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma: a visualized bibliometric analysis

Robot-assisted hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma has attracted increasing attention in minimally invasive hepatobiliary surgery, yet its global research landscape has not been systematically characterized. This study aimed to investigate the overall publication profile, collaborative relationships, citation architecture, and thematic changes in the literature on robotic liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma by using bibliometric and visualization methods. Publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (Science Citation Index Expanded) between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2025, were retrieved on April 16, 2026. After stepwise screening at the database level, 373 English-language articles and reviews were included. Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica were used to evaluate annual publication and citation trends, the contributions of countries and institutions, collaboration networks, influential references, and keyword-based research focuses. Publication output and citation activity generally increased across the study interval, with more evident growth in recent years. China showed the strongest cumulative growth in publication output and ranked first in citation counts, while Japan and the USA also demonstrated substantial citation influence. Berlin-affiliated entities, including Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, appeared among the leading institutional affiliations, although this pattern may partly reflect WoSCC affiliation parsing. The literature was concentrated mainly in journals related to minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, and hepatobiliary or gastrointestinal surgery. Keyword co-occurrence, clustering, burst, and timeline analyses suggested that research attention has gradually evolved beyond early feasibility and technical exploration, with growing emphasis on anatomy-based resection strategies, perioperative functional assessment, and oncologic outcome-related issues, particularly in relation to anatomical liver resection, glissonian approach, caudate lobe, liver function, recurrence, and open liver resection. Overall, this study maps the global knowledge structure and thematic development of research on robot-assisted hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma and suggests that research attention has gradually shifted toward more specialized and outcome-oriented investigation over time.