Abdominoplasty Through Six Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abdominoplasty has become a common practice in plastic surgery globally. With the introduction of bariatric surgery and many adjuvant procedures, the number of patients seeking abdominoplasty has increased. Currently, bibliometric analysis is used to analyze the literature deeply to get a comprehensive study. In this study, a bibliometric analysis of abdominoplasty was performed, investigating research patterns both worldwide and among Arab countries. A study was performed using the Web of Science Core Collection database, selecting paper type to Research article or Review article and language to English. Following a review process involving three researchers, we identified the documents to be included in the bibliometric analysis. Subsequently, we employed the Visualization of Similarities Viewer software (VOSviewer), and CiteSpace software to conduct visualization analysis of basic information and trends regarding publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, citations, keywords, funding, and subject categories. A total of 1,886 relevant articles were selected from 1960 to January 2024. The United States dominates global abdominoplasty research (43%), while Egypt and Saudi Arabia are the leading contributors in the Arab world. University of Pittsburgh (68 publications) and Federal University of São Paulo (31 publications) emerged as highly productive institutions. Within the Arab region, King Saud Medical City ranks first. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal stands out as the most prestigious journal in this field; 111 authors were recognized to publish at least five publications. This retrieved data comprised 34,781 citations and 3,845 keywords; most of the incorporated publications had no source of funding and were under the surgery category. This study sheds light on the research landscape in abdominoplasty. The data reflect rapid expansion in this subject, with the United States occupying the leading position worldwide. International collaboration is essential and highly recommended. Forthcoming aspects of research may concentrate on new techniques, outcomes, and assessment of quality of life.