Global trends and regional dynamics in plastic surgery research: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Background

There is a notable scarcity of comprehensive bibliometric studies examining plastic surgery research across extended or recent timeframes and diverse regions in relevant journals. The major objective of this study was to comprehensively map historical trends and the global distribution of plastic surgery research efforts.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis (using the Scopus database) of 35 core plastic surgery journals identified in these studies. All the data were extracted from the Scopus database in June 2025. The timeframe was set from 1946 to June 2025, and only original research and review articles were included in the detailed analysis. Countries were grouped into seven regions (Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and the United States as standalone categories) to examine regional publication trends.

Results

From 1946 to June 2025, 208 381 documents were published in 35 journals, of which 162 ​014 were eligible for analysis. The annual publication output has grown steadily, peaking at 8 277 by 2024. The United States led with 66 ​174 publications, followed by Europe (46 ​688), and Asia (31 ​785). Citation analysis of the top 100 regional papers revealed that the United States (70 530 citations) was the most impactful, followed by Europe (43 ​869), Asia (28 ​657), and Australia and New Zealand (23 ​409). The 100 most-cited papers globally accrued 78 ​833 citations, were dominated by United States-based contributions (71%), and were primarily published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (57 papers). Chung KC, Mulliken JB, and Coleman SR emerged as the top authors (among the 100 most-cited global publications). Authors’ performance is presented as the number of publications, citations, h-index, g-index, m-index, HG composite, and Q2 index.

Conclusion

This study extends prior bibliometric investigations by offering a complete historical and geographical perspective on plastic surgery research. This inclusive, regionalized methodology provides a robust framework for future benchmarking and global equity assessments in surgical scholarship.