Hotspots and frontiers in chronic postoperative pain: a bibliometric analysis and review (2004–2025)

Background: Surgery is a common cause of chronic pain. Current treatments for postoperative chronic pain yield suboptimal outcomes, with slow clinical progress. Methods: This study employed bibliometric analysis of chronic postoperative pain (CPSP)-related literature published between January 1, 2004, and August 5, 2025, using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. A total of 1,211 eligible English articles and reviews were screened, analyzing publication trends, countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. Results: From 2004 to 2025, annual publications in CPSP showed an upward trend, with the United States, China, Canada, and Denmark being the top publishing countries. Keyword analysis revealed "risk factor," "chronic postoperative pain," and "pain management" as research hotspots. Highly cited authors and journals were predominantly concentrated in North America and Europe. Conclusion: CPSP research is expanding, yet effective treatment options remain scarce. Future studies should enhance multidisciplinary collaboration to deepen understanding of CPSP pathogenesis and develop more effective interventions.