The Evolution and Future Trends of Stromal Vascular Fraction: A Bibliometric Analysis

The heterogeneous population of cells obtained from processed adipose tissue, known as stromal vascular fraction (SVF), exhibits immunomodulatory and angiogenic properties. The therapeutic efficacy of SVF has been substantiated in numerous diseases, instilling hope for its clinical application as a cellular therapy. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the scholarly literature on SVF, including its worldwide progression, highlighting significant literatures, temporal development, research clusters, current active topics, and emerging trends. The combination of CiteSpace, HistCite Pro, and VOS Viewer tools was used to analyze the SVF literature. The overall panorama of the field is elucidated in terms of publication count, timeline, institutional distribution, journal coverage, and authors' contributions. In addition, this analysis explores the literature and keywords through the lens of co-occurrence, citation, and co-citation frequencies. Clustering algorithms are used to track the trajectory of the literature further, providing insight into its development. The findings offer a comprehensive overview of the progress made in the SVF field, highlighting distinct phases of development: the "Seedling period" from 1980 to 2010, the "Panicle period" from 2011 to 2016, and the "Flowering period" from 2017 to 2023. Within these periods, the evolution of 10 clusters is unraveled, encompassing topics such as vascular disease, CD34 expression, adipose tissue macrophage in 2013, cell-assisted lipotransfer, and knee osteoarthritis. In summary, this bibliometric study, conducting a quantitative analysis of publications in SVF research, encompasses a global overview of research, an analysis of pivotal literature in the field, research hotspots, and emerging frontiers. Impact statement This is the first bibliometric analysis conducted in the field of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) in the past 40 years. Unlike traditional reviews, this study used quantitative methods and tools to analyze and evaluate information from the literature related to SVF. The study revealed the associations, trends, and impact of research activities in the field of SVF.