Identification of research trends concerning application of stent implantation in the treatment of pancreatic diseases by quantitative and biclustering analysis: a bibliometric analysis

OBJECTIVES: In recent years, with the development of biological materials, the types and clinical applications of stents have been increasing in pancreatic diseases. However, relevant problems are also constantly emerging. Our purpose was to summarize current hotspots and explore potential topics in the fields of the application of stent implantation in the treatment of pancreatic diseases for future scientific research. METHODS: Publications on the application of stents in pancreatic diseases were retrieved from PubMed without language limits. High-frequency Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms were identified through Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder (BICOMB). Biclustering analysis results were visualized utilizing the gCLUTO software. Finally, we plotted a strategic diagram. RESULTS: A total of 4,087 relevant publications were obtained from PubMed until May 15th, 2018. Eighty-three high-frequency MeSH terms were identified. Biclustering analysis revealed that these high-frequency MeSH terms were classified into eight clusters. After calculating the density and concentricity of each cluster, strategy diagram was presented. The cluster 5 “complications such as pancreatitis associated with stent implantation” was located at the fourth quadrant with high centricity and low density. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we found eight topics concerning the application of stent implantation in the treatment of pancreatic diseases. How to reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and improve the prognosis of patients with pancreatic diseases by stent implantation could become potential hotspots in the future research.