REVIEW article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Thoracic Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1526426
Research hotspots and trends of thoracic analgesia from 1994 to 2023: A bibliometric analysis
Provisionally accepted
Yuxiang Meng
Chenyang ShiHengrui ZhangZijie LingSumin YuanYang NiuLi ZhangZhibiao XuYuyun LiuSu Liu
Linlin Zhao*- Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
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Purpose:This study employs bibliometric analysis to comprehensively evaluate research trends in thoracic analgesia, identify evolving thematic priorities, and highlight emerging frontiers. The objective is to provide actionable insights to guide future investigations in this field. Methods:The publications related to thoracic analgesia from the establishment of the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) to 2023 were comprehensively searched. Utilizing CiteSpace (version 6.2.R4) software, this study conducted an in-depth analysis of the included publications, including disciplines, publication years, countries, institutions, authors, journals, cited references and keywords. Results:A total of 3895 articles related to thoracic analgesia were included in this study. Anesthesiology, surgery, respiratory system and cardiovascular system are the most active subjects in the study of thoracic analgesia. Since the first article was published in 1994, the number of articles related to thoracic analgesia has been on the rise. It is worth noting that the relevant literature mainly comes from developed countries, especially North America and Europe, of which the United States is far ahead. The analysis of institutions, authors and journals further reveals the important contributions made by the United States in the study of thoracic analgesia. In addition, the analysis of references on the number of citations showed that erector spinae plane block (ESPB) , serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) and thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) were the research hotspots in recent years. The analysis of key words also shows that Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) and nerve block are the development trend in the field of thoracic surgery. Conclusion:This study highlights the research hotspots and trends in thoracic analgesia, nerve block-related techniques (e.g., ESPB, SAPB) emerged as dominant research hotspots. Future research hotspots will be more centered on the relationship between thoracic analgesia and nerve block.
Keywords: Anesthesiology, Bibliometrics, Citespace, Thoracic analgesia, Nerve Block
Received: 11 Nov 2024; Accepted: 15 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Meng, Shi, Zhang, Ling, Yuan, Niu, Zhang, Xu, Liu, Liu and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Linlin Zhao, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.