Robot-assisted orthopedic surgery has garnered significant attention, yet comprehensive bibliometric and visualization analyses in this field remain scarce. This study aims to systematically map and visualize the global research landscape of robot-assisted orthopedic surgery. Employing bibliometric analysis methods and a suite of visualization tools-including CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica-this study systematically examined literature on orthopedic robotic surgery published in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) core collection from 2005 to 2024, analyzing global research trends across multiple dimensions. These dimensions encompass annual publication volume, collaborative networks among countries/regions and institutions, journal co-occurrence, keyword co-occurrence and clustering, research evolution pathways, and emerging keywords. A total of 820 articles on orthopedic robotics were included from 2005 to 2024. Analysis indicates exponential growth in global orthopedic robotic surgery research, with annual publications increasing from 5 in 2005 to 185 in 2024. The United States (338 articles), China (152 articles), and the United Kingdom (94 articles) emerged as core publishing nations. Institutional collaborations formed four major clusters: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and industry-academia-research partnerships. Key influential journals in orthopedic robotic surgery include the Journal of Arthroplasty, Journal of Knee Surgery precise alignment and soft tissue balance in robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty (TKA); and accurate navigation and safe placement of pedicle screws in robot-assisted spinal surgery. Emerging keywords indicate recent research emphasis on "lumbar spine," "national joint registries," "patient matching," and "total hip." Orthopedic robotic surgery research is currently undergoing rapid development, with technology integration, precision, and personalization emerging as primary future directions. This study provides a reference framework for researchers to track field trajectories and optimize research planning, while also offering theoretical support for clinical practice and technological innovation.
Zh et al. (Fri,) studied this question.