Global trends in disc degeneration and degenerative disc disease: a bibliometric and visualization study

Abstract

Objective: There has been increasing interest in the study of disc degeneration and degenerative disc disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the global status and trends in this field. Methods: Retrieved 1991-2022 research papers related to disc degeneration and degenerative disc disease from the Science Citation Index-Expanded Web of Science. The source data were studied and indexed using bibliometrics. The visualization study used VOSviewer software to perform literature coupling, co-authorization, co-citation, and co-occurrence analysis to analyze trends in published research on disc degeneration and degenerative disc disease. Results: A total of 2036 literatures were included. Worldwide, the number of related research interests and publications is increasing every year. The United States contributes the most to global research, is cited the most and has the highest H-index. The journal Springer Nature published the most. The University of California, Rush University, Harvard University, Jefferson University and the University of Hong Kong are among the top contributors. Research can be divided into four categories: mechanism studies, animal studies, clinical trials, and tissue engineering. Mechanism research and tissue engineering are expected to be the next hot topics in this field. Conclusions: Judging from current global research trends, there will be an increasing number of papers on disc degeneration and degenerative disc disease. The United States is the largest contributor in this field. Much of the effort has been devoted to the mechanisms and tissue engineering of disc degeneration, such as nucleus pulposus cells and inflammatory responses, which may be the next hot spot in research.