Polysomnography in otorhinolaryngology (1995-2025): Bibliometric analysis and database comparison

Polysomnography (PSG) is essential for diagnosing sleep-related disorders in otorhinolaryngology. Despite its clinical importance, to our knowledge, no comprehensive bibliometric study has examined PSG research in this area. This study aimed to provide a 30-year bibliometric analysis (1995-2025) of articles related to PSG in otorhinolaryngology journals, assessing publication trends, author, journal, and institution contributions, keyword dynamics, and cross-database citation comparability, which is important as citation metrics vary across databases.

Original articles were retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) and afterwards from PubMed for each journal in the WoS otorhinolaryngology category using the keywords polysomnography, PSG, and sleep monitoring; duplicates were removed using titles and digital object identifiers. Bibliographic data were standardized and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation tests, and Bland-Altman plots. We performed bibliometric mapping (co-citation and keyword co-occurrence) using VOSviewer and forecasted publication trends using simple exponential smoothing.

A total of 1809 articles were included. Publication output increased significantly after 2010, with a projection of 121 articles by 2030. The USA, Türkiye, China, South Korea, and Taiwan were the leading contributors, and Laryngoscope and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery were the most influential journals. Keyword analysis revealed a recent focus on drug-induced sleep endoscopy, hypoglossal nerve stimulation, and robotic surgery. Although citation counts across databases were highly correlated with WoS (r = 0.967-0.983), Bland-Altman analysis revealed that WoS tended to yield lower citations, particularly for highly cited articles.

PSG research in otorhinolaryngology has experienced sustained growth over the past 15 years, driven by strong international collaboration. In addition, this study outlines the trends in PSG research and emphasizes the impact of database selection on bibliometric outcomes.