Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis of Scientific Publications on Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Based on Web of Science

Abstract

Background: In recent years, there has been increasing study of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), leading to many articles on this topic. We aimed to identify trends in OPLL-related research and to analyze the most highly cited scientific articles on OPLL.

Methods: We searched the Web of Science Core Collection database for all articles on OPLL. The years of publication, countries, journals, institutions, and total citations were extracted and analyzed. Results related to countries, institutions, and keywords were subjected to co-occurrence analysis using VOSviewer software. The top 100 most-cited articles on OPLL were analyzed.

Results: A total of 876 articles related to OPLL were identified. The frequency of publication on OPLL has increased substantially over time. Among all countries, Japan has contributed the most articles on OPLL (n = 349). The most productive institution has been Hirosaki University (n = 57). Spine topped the list of journals and has published 120 OPLL-related articles, which received 4221 total citations. The surgical treatment of OPLL has been the most common research focus in the OPLL literature.

Conclusions: The scientific literature on OPLL has rapidly expanded in recent years. This study represents the first bibliometric analysis of scientific articles on OPLL and can serve as a useful guide to clinicians and researchers in the field.

Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; OPLL; Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament; Research trends; VOSviewer.