Cadaveric dissection studies in regional anesthesia – A comprehensive bibliographic analysis

The anatomical basis and safety optimization of regional anesthesia techniques are supported by cadaveric studies. However, the development of this field of study has not been thoroughly documented. To map publication trends, collaborative networks, and emerging themes in cadaveric studies on regional anesthesia, we conducted a bibliometric analysis. A Scopus database search using the keywords ‘cadaveric studies’ and ‘regional anesthesia’ revealed 298 articles from inception till May 2025. The comma-separated values (CSV) file was uploaded to the VOS viewer and CiteSpace software for analyzing various bibliometric parameters like bibliographic coupling, citation, co-authorship, co-occurrence, and co-citation. The results revealed that most of the work was done and published in high-income countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada), in established universities (University of Toronto, Canada), and in high-impact journals (Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine). Future studies should prioritize multicenter, cross-cultural cadaveric validations, standardized anatomical nomenclature, and stronger collaboration among anatomists and anesthesiologists to translate cadaveric insights into clinical protocols and enhance patient safety.