Visualizing the development of robot-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection: a comprehensive bibliometric study

To systematically map the global research landscape of Robot-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection (RA-ESD) and identify its publication trends, collaboration networks, intellectual structure, and emerging research hotspots using bibliometric and visualization analyses. A bibliometric study was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection (2005-2025). Eligible English-language articles and reviews were analyzed. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R software were used to evaluate publication trends, co-authorship networks, institutional and country collaborations, co-citation patterns, keyword co-occurrence, burst detection, and journal distribution. Knowledge mapping techniques were applied to identify thematic evolution and research frontiers. A total of 75 eligible studies were included for bibliometric analysis after screening 226 records from the Web of Science Core Collection. From 2010 to 2025, RA‑ESD publications and citations showed a fluctuating yet sustained upward trend, with remarkable growth after 2012 and peak values in 2024-2025. Global RA‑ESD research is primarily contributed by East Asian countries and the United States. China dominates in publication quantity, whereas Japan and Singapore yield higher per‑article citation impacts and better research quality. Collaboration analyses at the country, institutional and author levels reveal regionally concentrated cooperation centered on East Asia and North America, with limited global integration and fragmented cross-border collaboration. Keyword analysis indicates that RA‑ESD research focuses on gastrointestinal malignancies, minimally invasive endoscopic procedures, and flexible robotic technologies, with research frontiers evolving from early robotic resection techniques to flexible endoscopic platforms and currently toward traction-assisted strategies and clinical efficacy validation. Co-citation analysis confirms a field transition from technical feasibility exploration to evidence-based clinical evaluation. Dual-map overlay analysis demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of RA‑ESD research, which integrates clinical gastroenterology and oncology with engineering disciplines including materials science, computer science, and physics. RA-ESD research has rapidly evolved from early experimental exploration to a growing evidence-based and technology-integrated field. While technological innovation and clinical applications are expanding, international collaboration remains limited. Future studies should emphasize multicenter cooperation and high-quality clinical evidence to further advance the field toward standardized and intelligent endoscopic surgery.