Abstract Background This study aims to identify trends, research gaps, leading journals, institutions, countries, and authors by examining the top 100 cited Yttrium-90 Radioembolization (Y90) research articles. The insights gained will assist funding and collaboration efforts in Y90 research. The team analyzed 981 articles from 36 peer-reviewed journals, gathering data on authors, publication year, journal, citations, affiliations, keywords, and references. Author affiliations were scrutinized to pinpoint institutions and countries. p values < 0.05 were deemed statistically significant. Main body of abstract The most cited paper (703 citations) was authored by Salem et al. (2010), and the journal with the most publications (16) was Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology. There was no significant correlation between journal impact factor and citation metrics. A decreasing trend in the number of top 100 articles was observed since the peak period (2008–2013). Most papers were published in high-impact factor (IF > 3, n = 31/35) and SCImago Q1 journals (86/100), with Northwestern University, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich being the leading institutions. The most prolific authors were Salem, R., Lewandowski, R.J., and Mulcahy, M.F., with Salem, R. as the most influential. A statistically significant positive correlation between collaborative links and published articles was also discovered. Short conclusion The top 100 cited articles were primarily published in high-impact journals, and Northwestern University and the USA showed greater productivity and collaboration. These findings have crucial implications for researchers, policymakers, and institutions, aiding in the improvement of Y90 application and understanding in clinical practice.