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. 2024 Jan 3:10:1301739.
doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2023.1301739. eCollection 2023.

A bibliometric and visualization study of global research trends in sacral Tarlov cyst from 2000 to 2022

Yang Lu #  1 , Luyao Bao #  2 , Nan Wang #  1 , Shuang Chen  1 , Yuzhang Qian  1 , Jun Gu  1 , Ran Kang  1 , Lin Xie  1
Affiliations

A bibliometric and visualization study of global research trends in sacral Tarlov cyst from 2000 to 2022

Yang Lu et al. Front Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Symptomatic sacral Tarlov cyst (STC) exerts a significant negative impact on the patient's quality of life, highlighting the significance of the increasing number of studies on STC. However, bibliometric analyses in this research field are scarce. Thus, this study aims to provide a comprehensive knowledge structure and identify the research trends of STC through bibliometrics.

Methods: Articles related to STC from 2000 to 2022 were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer 1.6.16, CiteSpace 6.1.6, GraphPad Prism 8.2.1 and R-package "bibliometrix" were used to analyse the data and generate knowledge maps.

Results: A total of 930 studies on STC from 2000 to 2022 were included. The findings revealed a consistent yet upward trend in the number of annual publications in this field. The United States, China and Turkey were the most prolific and influential countries contributing to this field, with the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards & Technology being the most notable research institutions. Key journals include World Neurosurgery [Impact Factor (IF) = 2.210], Journal of Vascular Surgery (IF = 4.860) and Journal of Neurosurgery-Spine (IF = 3.467). Additionally, Tarlov Mj, Tarlov E and Zachariah Mr exhibit the highest number of publications, making them the leading authors in this field. A twenty-year retrospection of research trends using keyword analysis reveals four principal directions, namely "definition", "pathogenesis", "diagnosis" and "treatment". Currently, therapeutic surgical intervention is the key treatment for this disease, with future treatments primarily hinging on minimally invasive methodologies rooted in microendoscopic and endoscopic techniques.

Conclusion: This pioneering, comprehensive scientific bibliometric study provides a holistic summary of STC research trends and hot spots spanning the past 22 years. The results identify existing research frontiers and chart maps for future studies, serving as a valuable reference for scholars vested in this field.

Keywords: bibliometrics; hot spots analysis; research trends; sacral Tarlov cyst; visualization study.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of publications and citations from 2000 to 2022.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Global distribution of publications in STC research. (A) Geographic Map of Publication Source. (B) The top 20 most cited countries in the publication of STC research. (C) The top 20 corresponding author’s countries in the publication of STC research.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chord chart of cooperation between countries.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Number of publications and cooperation among institutions in STC research. (A) The top 20 institutions in the publication of STC research. (B) Cooperation network map of institutions in STC research. STC, Sacral Tarlov cyst.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Journal analysis in STC research. (A) Core Sources by Bradford’s Law. (B) The top five Sources’ Production over time. (C) The top 20 most locally cited sources in STC research. (D) Dual map overlay of journals in STC research. STC, Sacral Tarlov cyst.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Authors analysis in STC research. (A) The top 20 Most Relevant Authors in STC research. (B) The top 20 Most Local Cited Authors in STC research. (C) Cooperation network map of authors in STC research.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Analysis of documents and co-cited documents in STC research. (A) The top 20 most cited documents in STC research. (B) Cooperation network map of references in STC research. (C) The top 25 references with the strongest citation bursts in STC research. (D) Cooperation network map of co-cited references in STC research. STC, Sacral Tarlov cyst.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Keywords and trend topics analysis in STC research. (A) Cooperation network map of keywords in STC research. (B) The top 20 keywords with the strongest citation bursts in STC research. (C) and (D) Keyword trends from 2000 to 2022 in STC research. (E) Keyword topic map in STC research.
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