Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis of Neuropathic Pain Using Web of Science and CiteSpace for the Past 20 Years

Objective The purpose of our bibliometric analysis was to explore the disciplinary hotspots and collaborative networks in research on neuropathic pain (NPP) during in the past 20 years. Methods The studies related to NPP were obtained from Web of Science database. Global publications on NPP were analyzed for different factors, including the number of reports, citation rates, authors, institutions, countries and regions, journals, funding, and relevant partnerships and topic hotspots. Results From 2001 to 2020, 6905 studies related to NPP research were reported worldwide. The number of publications had increased continually during the past 20 years. Pain was the most productive and most frequently co-cited journal. Ralf Baron was the most productive and influential author. The most productive country and institution were the United States and Harvard University, respectively. Investigators and institutions from the United States, Japan, and China were the core research forces. We found broad and close cooperation in the field worldwide. The top authors and top institutions had collaborated relatively closely with others. Conclusions The research of NPP is a well-developed and prospective field of medical study. The journals Pain, European Journal of Pain, and Molecular Pain showed more interested in this field. The United States, Harvard University, and Ralf Baron were the top country, institution, and author, respectively. Global research collaboration was extensive, with the top institutions and authors cooperating with others.