Hotspots and Frontiers of Congenital Biliary Dilatation: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1990 to 2022

Abstract

Background Congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) is a rare malformation in the development of the biliary duct. Since 1990, there have been significant advancements in CBD research and substantial changes in treatment methods. This study aims to identify and evaluate global trends in CBD research over the past 30 years, as well as visualize research hotspots and potential frontiers through bibliometric analysis. Methods This study conducted a comprehensive search of CBD articles published from January 1990 to December 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection database. Visual analysis was performed on the countries, research institutions, authors, keywords, and research frontiers included in the articles using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. Results A total of 1794 articles were published, and the overall number of articles showed an upward trend. The United States, Japan, and China are the top three countries in terms of article output. Juntendo University has the highest number of publications. Li Long, Miyano Takeshi, and Cheng Wei are the top three researchers in terms of publication volume. Co-occurrence analysis of keywords shows that "choledochal cyst", "management", and "children" are the three most important keywords. Keyword co-occurrence forms 19 clusters, and burst citation analysis (2013–2022) identifies 13 cutting-edge keywords. CBD research hotspots mainly focus on diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery, and carcinoma. Conclusions This study employs bibliometric analysis to examine the literature on CBD from 1990 to 2022, revealing the development and changes in the field of CBD, identifying three main research hotspots, and exploring potential research frontiers. The findings of this study offer valuable references for researchers in the field of CBD.