Research landscape of robot-assisted reconstructive and plastic surgery

Robot-assisted technologies have progressively transformed plastic and reconstructive surgery by enabling enhanced precision, minimally invasive access, and complex microsurgical reconstruction. Despite increasing clinical adoption, a comprehensive data-driven synthesis of global research focused exclusively on original studies remains limited. This study systematically mapped the intellectual structure, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution of robot-assisted plastic and reconstructive surgery using advanced bibliometric approaches. A total of 484 original research articles published between 1996 and 2025 were retrieved from the Scopus database using an optimized search strategy, while secondary document types were excluded to ensure analytical consistency. Descriptive, network, and thematic analyses were performed using Bibliometrix for performance indicators and conceptual mapping, VOSviewer for collaboration and keyword networks, and CiteSpace for co-citation clustering and timeline visualization. The field demonstrated strong growth (annual growth rate 15.89%), with a mean citation impact of 21.6 citations per article and variable field-weighted citation performance across leading authors and institutions. Research output involved 2077 authors across 210 sources, characterized by high collaboration intensity and increasing international participation. The United States dominated productivity and citation impact, followed by China and several European countries. Thematic analyses identified robotic microsurgery as a central research focus, alongside expanding applications in breast reconstruction and transoral robotic surgery, with emerging integration of artificial intelligence.