The research landscape of single-port robotic partial nephrectomy: a bibliometric analysis

The single-port robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (SP-RAPN) procedure has emerged as a minimally invasive approach for the surgical treatment of localized renal tumors. Although numerous publications have been reported, the scientific structure of this research field has not been systematically evaluated. This bibliometric study aimed to identify publication characteristics, key contributors, collaborations, and research themes related to SP-RAPN. Records were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. After excluding non-English studies, publications outside the Science Citation Index Expanded, non-original article types, and studies unrelated to the topic, 62 original articles published between 2009 and 2025 were included. Bibliometric mapping and visualization analyses were performed using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. Publication output, citation trends, journal productivity, institutional contributions, country productivity, co-authorship networks, and keyword patterns were evaluated. A marked increase in publications was observed after 2021, with the highest annual output recorded in 2025 (n = 15). The Journal of Endourology and Journal of Robotic Surgery were the most productive journals, each publishing 12 articles. Yonsei University was the leading institution with 29 publications. The United States contributed the highest number of publications, citations, and authors. These findings demonstrate growing scientific interest in SP-RAPN. Although research activity remains concentrated in a limited number of countries and institutions, collaborative interactions appear to be increasing. Further multicenter and prospective studies are needed to better define the role of SP-RAPN in minimally invasive renal surgery.