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Robotic-Assisted Surgery in Vascular Surgery: A 29-Year Bibliometric Analysis and Emerging Research Trends

This 29-year bibliometric analysis of 201 publications reveals that while China leads global research output in robotic-assisted vascular surgery, the field is rapidly evolving from traditional open procedures toward advanced robot-assisted endovascular and extravascular techniques, with key themes focusing on efficacy, safety, and systematic implementation.

Original authors: Qingtao Shi, Chenglou Zhu, Naiqing Liu

Published 2026-06-25

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CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Qingtao Shi, Chenglou Zhu, Naiqing Liu

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

Imagine the world of medicine as a massive, bustling library. Inside this library are millions of books (scientific studies) written over the last 29 years about a very specific topic: using robot hands to fix blood vessels.

This paper is like a super-smart librarian who has spent years organizing, counting, and mapping out every single book in that section. Instead of just reading the books, the librarian uses special software (called "CiteSpace" and "VOSviewer") to create a giant, glowing map of how this field has grown, who is writing the books, and what the most popular stories are.

Here is the story of that map, broken down simply:

1. The Slow Start and the Big Boom

For a long time (from 1997 to about 2019), the library was quiet. Only a few people were writing about robot-assisted surgery for blood vessels. It was a niche topic.

The Analogy: Think of it like a new video game console that just came out. Only the hardcore gamers (researchers) knew about it, and not many people were playing.
The Change: Around 2019, the library exploded with activity. The number of new books written skyrocketed, hitting two huge peaks in 2022 and 2025. It's as if the "general public" finally discovered the game, and everyone started writing guides, reviews, and strategies.

2. Who is Writing the Books? (The Authors and Countries)

The librarian found that China is the undisputed champion of this library.

The Stats: China wrote nearly half (45%) of all the books in this section. They are the "power users" of this research.
The Runners-Up: The United States, Japan, Italy, and the UK are also in the game, but they have written fewer books.
The Top Writers: Just like in any field, a small group of people writes most of the content. The paper highlights three "super-authors" (Shuxiang Guo, Xiaoliang Jin, and Peng Shi) who have written the most influential chapters.

3. What Are the Books About? (The Shift in Focus)

If you look at the titles of the books from the early days (1997–2018), they are mostly about traditional, open-heart surgeries.

The Old Way: Imagine a surgeon having to cut a large hole in a chest to fix a pipe (a blood vessel). The early robot studies were trying to help with these big, open surgeries, like "Coronary Artery Bypass."
The New Way: In recent years (2019–2025), the topic has completely shifted. The books are now about minimally invasive procedures.
The Analogy: It's like the difference between digging a trench to lay a pipe (open surgery) versus sending a tiny, remote-controlled robot snake through a tiny hole to fix the pipe from the inside (endovascular surgery). The research is moving from "big cuts" to "tiny, precise robot moves."

4. The Most Popular Books (Journals and Citations)

Some books are read and referenced by everyone else.

The "Magazines": The most popular places to publish these stories are journals like the Journal of Robotic Surgery and the International Journal of Medical Robotics.
The "Classics": One specific book from 2014 (a review of robot catheters) is the most "cited" (mentioned by others) of all. It's the "bible" that everyone refers to when they start a new project.

5. The Challenges (What the Librarian Found Missing)

Even though the library is growing fast, the librarian noticed some empty shelves and sticky notes saying "Work in Progress."

Not Everyone is Using It: Even though the robots exist, doctors haven't fully adopted them for blood vessel surgery yet. It's still a bit of a "specialty" tool rather than a standard one.
The Cost: These robots are expensive, and patients are sometimes unsure if they are worth the price tag.
The Proof: While the robots work well for stitching blood vessels together (anastomosis), we still need more proof that they are the best choice for every type of blood vessel problem.

The Bottom Line

This paper is a snapshot of a field that is growing up fast. It started as a small experiment in traditional surgery and is rapidly transforming into a high-tech, minimally invasive future. China is leading the charge in writing the research, but the whole world is watching to see if these robot hands can become the new standard for fixing our bodies' plumbing.

Important Note: The paper strictly analyzes what has been written in the last 29 years. It does not claim that these robots are currently used in every hospital or that they have solved every medical problem. It simply maps out the journey of the research itself.