Current update and trend of 3D printing in spinal surgery: A bibliometric analysis and review of literature

Abstract

Incorporation of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology into the field of spinal surgery is on the rise. A bibliometric analysis of the current topic was carried out to elaborate the trend and to navigate future research. A Scopus database search was conducted with keywords related to 3D printing, spine, and surgery. The final 792 articles were extracted and further analyzed with VOSviewer 1.6.19 and Biblioshiny. The first published article was in 2002. A notable increase in articles in 2014 might be attributable to the availability of cheaper 3D printers which rose significantly on a global scale in 2011. China leads in terms of published research on 3D printing in spinal surgery, followed by the US, Australia, and India. The author's keyword co-occurrence analysis reveals 8 theme clusters, including preoperative and intraoperative measures, biomodelling, spinal neoplasms, biomechanics of 3D-printed materials, degenerative spinal diseases, minimally invasive surgery, and bioprinting. The top 15 of the most recently cited keywords are listed to provide future researchers to produce impactful articles. Two strategic diagrams of 2 periods (2002-2018 and 2018-2023) show the theme's evolution. We found 6 consistent themes in keyword co-occurrence analysis and the strategic diagram analysis, that are promising subjects for future research. Overall, this bibliographic study indicates the expanding importance of 3D printing in spinal surgery and suggests several critical themes and impactful keywords for future researchers.

Keywords: Additive manufacturing; Bibliometric study; Review; Spine surgery; Three dimensional printing.

Fig. 1

Search strategy for bibliometric analysis.

Fig. 2

Network visualization of author's keyword co-occurrence. (a.) Co-occurrence clusters of the author's keyword are represented by different colors. The size of the circle is proportional to the occurrence of the keyword, while the thickness is proportional to the strength of co-occurrence. (b.) Mapping of keywords according to the mean frequency of appearance between 2019 and 2021; keywords in blue appeared earlier (2019 or earlier) than those in yellow (2021 or later). (c.) Mapping of keywords according to the mean frequency of citation per keyword; keywords in blue cited less (0; zero) than those in yellow (30 or more).

Fig. 3

Strategic diagram of author's keyword. (a. & b.) Diagram of the first period; representing keywords between 2002 and 2018. (c. & d.) Diagram of the second period; representing keywords from 2018 until 2023. The diameter of the circle represents the frequency of keyword occurrence. The diagrams are divided into 4 quadrants: Motor themes (Quadrant 1), Niche themes (Quadrant 2), Emerging/declining themes (Quadrant 3), and Basic themes (Quadrant 4).