Artificial intelligence in surgery: evolution, trends, and future directions

Artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming surgery by enhancing precision, decision-making, and patient outcomes. This bibliometric analysis examines AI's impact on surgery, highlighting research trends, key contributors, and evolving themes from 1998 to 2024. Utilizing data from the Web of Science Core Collection and analyzed through the Bibliometrix tool, the study reviews publication trends, author impact, institutional contributions, country-specific research activities, and keyword frequency. A total of 821 articles were examined, revealing a 14.53% annual growth rate in publications, increasing from one in 1998 to 328 in 2023. Influential contributors include 10 157 authors, notably HASHIMOTO DA and ITO M. Prominent institutions such as Harvard University and Stanford University, along with leading countries like the USA and China, play major roles in this field. High-frequency keywords identify core research areas: surgery, artificial intelligence, classification, diagnosis, and outcomes. Thematic evolution shows a shift from foundational concepts to advanced applications and interdisciplinary collaborations. AI integration into surgical practices is revolutionizing the field, driving advancements in precision, efficiency, and patient care. The study underscores significant research growth, influential contributors, and key trends, emphasizing the importance of continued interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. Future research should focus on enhancing AI applications, addressing data quality and security challenges, and expanding into diverse surgical contexts to further improve surgical outcomes and patient care. AI in surgery is a rapidly evolving and promising field for innovation, with its full potential reliant on enhanced collaboration across disciplines.