A Bibliometric Study of Articles on Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Published in Science Citation Index Expanded Journals: Analysis of 4269 Articles Published Between 1998-2020

Purpose: In the last decade, the popularity of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) among surgeons has increased, and the desire to get information has been accelerated. Holistic evaluation of scientific publications, including publication and citation metrics, is the definition of "Bibliometrics". In the present study, we aimed to analyze the top-cited articles about LSG, published between the years 1998-2020, according to the database of Web of Science. Methods: We used the search engine of Thomson Reuters®, Web of Science Core Collection, by using the keyword "Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy", and by choosing the “Topic” section on December 1, 2020. Only “Articles” in “English” were included in the study protocol. The publication rates according to years, countries, journal categories, organizations and authors, publication number, citation, and h-index data were evaluated. Also, publication metrics were evaluated in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDPpp), and Human Development Index (HDI) of the countries. Results: The most productive countries, scientific journals, and authors are USA, Obesity Surgery, and Schauer PR, respectively. There was a positive correlation between publication numbers and GDP (r=0.370, p0.05; r=0.603, p>0.05; respectively). Conclusion: The present study proves the avalanching publication productivity concerning LSG, over the last twenty years. Our outcomes show that researchers have an increasing interest in morbid obesity and LSG procedure. This progression highlights the value of bibliometric analysis, which facilitates the process of research in further studies.