Global research landscape and trends in robot-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a bibliometric analysis

Robot-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (RA-UKA) has received increasing attention, but its overall research landscape and evolving priorities remain incompletely characterized. This study systematically analyzed the global literature on RA-UKA to identify research trends, major contributors, knowledge structures, and emerging topics. Publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection through August 20, 2026 were retrieved and analyzed using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer. A total of 238 publications from 73 journals involving 952 authors were included. Publication output increased markedly after 2018. The United States contributed the largest number of publications, while several European countries showed strong international collaboration. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, The Journal of Arthroplasty, and The Bone & Joint Journal were major publication and citation sources. Early influential studies focused primarily on robotic systems, surgical accuracy, and implant positioning. More recent research has increasingly addressed clinical outcomes, survivorship, revision, complications, patient-reported outcomes, patient satisfaction, and personalized knee arthroplasty. Overall, RA-UKA research has shifted from establishing technical accuracy toward determining whether these technical advantages translate into durable and clinically meaningful benefits. Further multicenter and long-term comparative studies are needed to clarify its effectiveness across different patients, robotic platforms, and clinical settings.