Global research landscape and citation dynamics of oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF): A bibliometric analysis of the 100 most influential articles.

INTRODUCTION

Oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) is increasingly used as a minimally invasive anterolateral approach that enables interbody fusion, restoration of segmental alignment, and indirect neural decompression while avoiding limitations of posterior and transpsoas techniques. As OLIF-related publications have expanded rapidly, identifying the studies and research themes that have influenced the field is important.

METHODS

The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for OLIF-related publications. Records were screened and ranked by citation count following a PRISMA-based selection process. The 100 most cited articles published between 2003 and 2024 were included. Data regarding citation counts, publication year, journals, authors, institutions, countries, and keywords were extracted and analyzed using the Bibliometrix package in R. Core journals were determined using Bradford's law, and keyword relationships, thematic trends, and international collaboration networks were evaluated.

RESULTS

Publication activity was limited before 2013 but increased markedly thereafter, with influential studies appearing between 2017 and 2021. The included articles averaged approximately 78 citations per paper. Spine-focused journals, particularly World Neurosurgery and Spine, accounted for a substantial proportion of publications. Authors and institutions from Japan, China, and South Korea produced the greatest output, with collaboration involving the United States. Common research topics included indirect decompression, cage subsidence, fixation strategies, perioperative complications, and comparisons with TLIF and LLIF techniques.

CONCLUSION

OLIF research has progressed from early feasibility reports toward studies addressing patient selection, surgical technique, and complication prevention. Future investigations should emphasize comparative study designs, standardized outcome reporting, multicenter collaboration, and longer clinical follow-up to strengthen evidence base.