Erkan SERVET, Mustafa IŞIK, Çağrı KARABULUT, Musa Alperen BİLGİN, Beytullah UNAT, Nevzat GÖNDER
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine - 2026;9(4):1182-1188
Aims: Wrist arthroplasty has become an important surgical option for end-stage wrist arthritis; however, the global research landscape in this field has not yet been comprehensively characterized. This bibliometric study aimed to examine publication growth, the principal contributors, collaboration patterns, and thematic groupings within the wrist arthroplasty literature from 1980 to April 2026. Methods: A structured search was performed in the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection. Articles and review articles on wrist arthroplasty published from 1980 through April 2026 were retrieved and evaluated. Bibliometric measures, including publication volume, citations, h-index, leading journals, countries, and authors, were compiled. Co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence networks were mapped with VOSviewer. Results: In total, 183 publications were included, yielding 3,912 citations overall, an average of 21.4 citations per item, and an h-index of 37. Yearly output increased clearly over time and reached its highest point in 2025 with 18 publications. The Journal of Hand Surgery-American Volume published the most papers (n=33). Keyword mapping showed five major clusters focused on total wrist arthroplasty, rheumatoid arthritis, surgical outcomes, implant design, and comparisons with wrist arthrodesis. Conclusion: Research interest in wrist arthroplasty has increased markedly over the last decade, with especially rapid growth in recent years. Output remains concentrated in North America and Western Europe. Greater multinational collaboration is needed, particularly to clarify long-term implant survivorship, outcomes in non-rheumatoid indications, and future implant development.
