Scientific growth and research impact in robotic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: evidence from almost 1,000 publications and top- 100 most cited literature.

Abstract

This bibliometric study analyzed global research trends and the most cited contributions in robotic-assisted hepatobiliary and pancreaticosplenic surgery using Scopus, complemented by structured citation and network mapping. The search strategies i.e. title-abstract-keywords, abstract based and title only were employed. The abstract-based dataset (n = 1,037 publications) were selected for detail analysis. Annual publication dynamics were assessed using per-year output counts, showing progressive growth from 21 publications/year in 2010 to 176 publications/year in 2025, indicating a sustained expansion in research activity over 16 years. Based on the number of publications, the top contributors (authors, universities, countries, sources, and funding sponsors) are presented. Citation performance of the top 100 most cited publications demonstrated 9,640 total citations, with 96.4 citations per paper on average. Network analyses further included author co-authorship, institutional collaboration, country-level cooperation, and keyword co-occurrence mapping. Journal-level analysis incorporated bibliometric indices included In total, 51 journals contributed to the top-cited literature, highlighting a diversified yet high-impact publication distribution. For each, total publications, total citations, citations per paper, h-index, g-index, m-index, CiteScore, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), Journal Impact Factor (JIF), and Scopus/Web of Science quartiles were provided. The top 100 most cited publications mainly focused on robotic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, especially hepatectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy, and distal pancreatectomy. Liver and pancreatic procedures were most frequently studied, reflecting increasing clinical adoption in complex abdominal surgery and outcome evaluation. Key studies also highlighted technological advances, including robotic platforms, fluorescence guidance, and image-assisted techniques, along with training and learning curve research.