From fluoroscopy to artificial intelligence: three decades of percutaneous pelvic ring fixation—a bibliometric and science-mapping analysis (1996–2026)

Introduction Percutaneous pelvic-ring fixation requires implant placement within narrow osseous corridors. Navigation, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) have successively been proposed to improve accuracy and reduce radiation exposure. This study mapped three decades of research on these technologies, characterising publication trends and the field’s intellectual, conceptual and social structure. Materials and methods The Web of Science Core Collection (primary dataset, with parsed cited references) and Scopus (robustness comparison) were searched on 8 June 2026. Searches combined pelvic-fixation and technology terms and targeted articles, reviews and conference papers; degenerative-spine, deformity, arthroplasty and isolated acetabular records were excluded, while adjacent WoS categories retained by platform indexing were evaluated in sensitivity analysis. Bibliometrix analyses comprised performance indicators, collaboration patterns, co-citation, keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping and trend analysis on a harmonised keyword field. Results The primary corpus comprised 271 documents from 97 sources, with 1311 authors and 16.3 mean citations per document. Output rose from low single digits before 2010 to 25–29 documents per year in 2022–2023; an exploratory logistic model indicated continued rapid growth. The Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma and Injury dominated the source landscape, while Germany, China, Switzerland and the United States led production. Foundational percutaneous-fixation studies and the subsequent navigation literature structured the intellectual base. Navigation, fluoroscopy and screw insertion formed the conceptual backbone, whereas explicit AI terminology appeared in only 1 of 271 documents at the author-keyword level. Conclusions Percutaneous pelvic-ring fixation research is in sustained growth around a mature navigation backbone, while robotics, augmented reality and AI form a thin but identifiable emerging frontier. The findings support research prioritisation, cross-border collaboration and transparent reporting of new technologies in trauma orthopaedics.