effect of poloxamer and hyaluronic acid administration in nerve root fibrosis and adhesion prevention following laminectomy: a novel bibliometric analysis.

Background: Nerve root fibrosis (NRF) is a common postoperative complication following spinal decompression procedures and is associated with persistent pain and functional impairment. Although poloxamer and hyaluronic acid (HA) have been investigated as anti-adhesive agents, the global research landscape in this field has not been systematically evaluated. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science Core Collection to evaluate publications on poloxamer and HA for NRF prevention from 2000 to 2024. Citation analysis, co-authorship networks, and keyword co-occurrence including citation trends, co-authorship networks, and keyword co-occurrence mapping analysis were performed. Results: The final investigation comprised 42 relevant studies. The annually publishing trend indicated a considerable growth in research interest, with the largest number of publications in 2016(7 articles). Between 2020 and 2024, approximately 35% (15/42) of the total studies were published, indicating a growing focus on this field. The top contributing countries were Turkey (16 articles, 37.1%), China (13 articles, 30.2%), and Taiwan (7 articles, 16.3%). Citation analysis found that the most referenced journal was the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine numbering 87 citations, followed by European Spine Journal (58 citations) and Neurosurgery Journal (55 citations). Co-citation analysis highlighted Mei-Hsiu C (70 citations) and Yu S (67 citations) as key researchers in this domain. Keyword mapping indicated that major research themes included "epidural fibrosis" (32 occurrences), "laminectomy" (24 occurrences), and "adhesion" (10 occurrences). Conclusion: Research on poloxamer and HA for NRF prevention has increased steadily, with emerging emphasis on inflammation modulation and biomaterial optimization. These findings provide a comprehensive overview of current trends and future research directions.