Bibliometric Analysis of Diagnostic Yield of CT Pulmonary Angiogram (CTPA) in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

Abstract

CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the investigation of choice for diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE). Due to the speed and ease of performing the CTPA scans, more clinicians are becoming overly reliant on them, even for patients without strong suspicion of PE. We conducted a bibliometric analysis on the PubMed database from 1990 to 2022 to investigate the literature on the diagnostic yield of CTPA in the diagnosis of PE. A total of 166 articles were published in 98 journals. The number of publications has steadily increased since 2010 and peaked in 2020. Authors from 24 countries contributed to these publications, with the overwhelming majority emanating from United States of America, totaling 66 articles. The authors' contributions were relatively well spread out, with the top four authors publishing the highest number of articles at six each. When we investigated the collaboration between the authors, we found limited multinational and multi-institutional collaborations on this topic. Therefore, more multinational and multi-institutional collaborations will be valuable in future studies. In conclusion, this bibliometric analysis summarizes the literature on diagnostic yield of CTPA in the diagnosis of PE and sheds light on the future pathway that researchers and institutions can focus on.

Keywords: bibliometric analyis; ct pulmonary angiogram; pulmonary emboli; radiology research; review article.

Figure 1. Flowchart of search results

CTPA: CT pulmonary angiography; PE: Pulmonary embolism

Figure 2. A graphical representation of the annual scientific production from 1990 to 2022

Figure 3. A graphical representation of the number of publications in journals

Figure 4. A graphical illustration of the country-wise scientific production on the world map

Figure 5. A graphical representation of the annual production analysis of the top authors over time

Figure 6. A graphical representation of the authors' collaboration network

Figure 7. A graphical representation of the collaborations between different countries. The pink line depict the collaboration between different countries.