Fabriccio J Visconti-Lopez, Ordaya Sonco Marife, Raúl Meza Meza, Joaquín Eduardo Chávez-Cano
Robotic surgery research involving Latin American and Caribbean institutions has increased but remains concentrated in Brazil, a limited number of institutions, and urologic oncology.
Robotic surgery has expanded across Latin America and the Caribbean, but research participation involving institutions from the region remains insufficiently characterized. We conducted a bibliometric study using the Web of Science Core Collection. Articles and reviews published through 2025 were retrieved using terms related to robotic surgery and geographic units included in the predefined Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean framework. Eligible records were analyzed using bibliometrix in R and VOSviewer to assess publication trends, scientific impact, collaboration patterns, and the aggregate thematic structure based on author-keyword co-occurrence. The final dataset included 709 publications authored by 5,546 researchers from 1,163 institutional affiliations. Scientific output increased over time, particularly after 2018, and the highest annual output was observed in 2025, with 114 publications. Brazilian institutions participated in 431 publications, the highest number among Latin American and Caribbean countries, and were involved in 277 multi-country publications. Universidade de São Paulo was the most productive institution, while Vipul Patel was the most prolific author. The Journal of Robotic Surgery published the largest number of publications. The thematic structure was dominated by urology and urologic oncology, particularly prostate cancer and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. Other thematic clusters represented colorectal surgery, renal surgery, surgical training, and technological development. Robotic surgery research involving Latin American and Caribbean institutions has increased but remains concentrated in Brazil, a limited number of institutions, and urologic oncology. The aggregate keyword network identified a thematic structure centered on urologic oncology, with additional clusters related to colorectal surgery, renal surgery, training, and technological development.