Investigating the landscape and trajectory of spina bifida research in Asia: a bibliometric analysis

Background Spina bifida is a type of a neural tube defect which affects 243.14 per 100,000 babies in Asia. Research articles on spina bifida have increased in the recent years. However, no study has focused on the research trends in this field in Asia. Methods A systematic review of literature on spina bifida in Asia was performed using the Scopus database from inception to 2020. All published studies on spina bifida conducted in or published by authors from Asia were included in our analysis. Bibliometric information was obtained from Scopus and bibliometrics diagrams were created using VOSviewer software. Results A total of 652 articles were obtained in this study. The number of publications showed an upward trend starting 2000s. The country with the greatest number of publications was Japan while All India Institute of Medical Sciences was the most productive institution in spina bifida research in Asia. The current focus of this field in Asia was prevalence of spina bifida, prenatal diagnosis, folic acid supplementation, and complications of spina bifida. Future areas of research in spina bifida include the genetic basis of neural tube defects and the use of stem cell technology as therapies for spina bifida. Conclusion This is the first bibliometric analysis on spina bifida in Asia. It showed the trend and future areas of research on spina bifida in Asia. Despite the increase in scientific literature on spina bifida research, more research outputs and collaborations are needed especially in developing countries in Asia.