Quality of life and disability following lumbar fusion for stenosis: a bibliometric analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21874954Keywords:
spinal stenosis; spinal fusion; quality of life; disabled persons; bibliometricsAbstract
Introduction: research on quality of life and disability following lumbar fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis lacks a systematic analysis characterizing its production, impact, and conceptual evolution.
Objective: to evaluate the state of research on quality of life and disability after lumbar fusion for lumbar spinal stenosis using bibliometric indicators.
Method: a search was conducted in Scopus (1985–2025) for original articles and reviews on lumbar fusion, spinal stenosis, and outcome measures (ODI, SF-36, quality of life). Analyses were performed using Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graph.
Results: a total of 647 documents from 169 sources were retrieved, with an annual growth rate of 11.71% (R²=0.662; p<0.001) and 23.65 citations per document. China (n=612), the USA (n=433), and South Korea (n=151) led in production; international collaboration was 8.19%. World Neurosurgery (n=45), European Spine Journal (n=44), and Spine (n=37) were the most productive journals; Spine accumulated the highest impact (2,267 citations). Wang Y and Zhang Y were the most prolific authors. Bradford’s Law identified a core of six journals, and Lotka’s Law confirmed high author concentration. Co-occurrence analysis revealed four thematic clusters. Thematic evolution showed a shift from technical concepts toward patient-centered outcomes.
Conclusions: research has grown steadily, with concentration in Asia and North America. The conceptual shift toward functional outcomes guides future research lines. Strengthening international collaboration is recommended.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Alexis Alejandro Garcia-Rivero, Julio Jesús Garcia-Coste , Axel Emanuel Moctezuma-García, Michael Herbas-Rocha, José Alfredo Sierra-Ramírez, Marycarmen Godínez-Victoria
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
