Temporal research trends in parathyroid surgery

Background: Progress has been observed in the pathophysiology of calcium homeostasis, localization studies, and intraoperative adjuncts in parathyroid surgery. The aim of this study is to gain a comprehensive perspective on the research landscape of parathyroid surgery over time.

Methods: A search of the Web of Science Core Collection was conducted to identify publications on parathyroid surgery from 1985 to 2024. Keywords were manually curated, and their frequencies were calculated based on the publication year.

Results: Publications on secondary hyperparathyroidism have decreased in recent years, but those on calcimimetics, tertiary hyperparathyroidism, and parathyroid cancer have increased. Publications related to sestamibi scans have decreased, while research on four-dimensional computed tomography and positron emission tomography has increased. Research on fluorescence and ablation treatment has recently been on the rise. The citation count per publication was positively correlated with the number of contributing institutions.

Conclusion: We provide an overview of contemporary research themes and emerging topics related to parathyroid surgery. The endocrine surgery community could benefit from more inter-institutional partnerships to foster scientific progress.