A scientometric review of medical flexible needle systems in surgery: signal processing, navigation and control

Flexible needle systems showing multiple advantages in various medical scenarios, characterized by their flexibility, ease of operation, adaptable control and navigation capabilities. This paper presents a scientometric analysis of the research advancements in flexible needle systems. The paper reviews 498 articles with various perspectives from 1997 to 2023 and conducts a scientometric study including crucial institutions, journals, and article keywords. The analysis reveals that the knowledge domain of flexible needle systems is focused on signal processing, navigation, and control. Subsequently, a thorough examination of the current key research directions in the field of flexible needles is conducted, and an analysis of the challenges faced by this field is presented. The review also provides a comprehensive and integrated knowledge mind map to establish the flexible needle system’s information network. It offers valuable insights for researchers into future research directions and developments within the field of medical flexible needle systems in surgery.