Publication trends of peroral endoscopic myotomy during 2010–2022: a bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) has been rapidly accepted as a safe and effective therapy for achalasia and other esophageal motility disorders, and has inspired novel submucosal tunneling techniques. This study analyzed the trends in POEM research and compared contributions from different countries, regions, institutions, journals, and authors using bibliometric analysis to predict the trends and potential hotspots in POEM research. METHODS: Publications concerning POEM from January 1, 2010 to February 25, 2022, were extracted from the Web of Science database. Book chapters, retrieved manuscripts, news, erratum, non-English language publications, and irrelevant publications were excluded. Data, including keywords for each article, were collected, and network analysis was conducted. Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer were used to collect publication data, analyze publication trends, and visualize relevant results. RESULTS: A total of 1,853 publications were identified. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has been the most popular journal in this field (n=383, 20.67%). Research from the United States was the largest contributor to POEM research worldwide and has provided a pivotal influence (n=743), followed by research from China (n=346) and Japan (n=223). Showa University (Japan) was the most active institution in the field of POEM research. In terms of authors, Dr. Inoue published the most papers in the field with the highest average citation number. Keywords were categorized into 5 clusters: management and outcomes, POEM-derived new techniques, diagnosis and classification, comparison with other treatment approaches, and fundoplication and POEM in children. Average appearing years of keywords was calculated. The topics of adverse events, gastroparesis, and gastric POEM (G-POEM) appeared most recently. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers from the United States, China, and Japan have published the most articles in the field of POEM research, but there was a disparity between the quantity and quality of publications. Research of management and POEM-derived novel techniques were considered potential areas of focus for future research.