Mapping the Decade of Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablation for Uterine Fibroids and the Evolution Toward Patient-Centered Outcomes (2015-2025)

Study Objective: To perform a thorough bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for uterine fibroids, mapping the research landscape, identifying important contributors, and tracking the development of research themes with an emphasis on patient-centered outcomes such as long-term symptom control, fertility, and quality of life. Design: A bibliometric and science mapping study using CiteSpace. Setting: N/A Patients or Participants: N/A Interventions: Analysis of peer-reviewed literature indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. Measurements and Main Results: We analyzed 156 publications from 2015-2025 using CiteSpace to identify collaborative networks, citation patterns, and research hotspots. The analysis revealed 11 major research clusters with high structural coherence (Modularity Q=0.8123; Mean Silhouette=0.8405). The largest and most impactful clusters centered on patient-centered outcomes: Health Utility (Cluster 0, n=48, mean year 2018), Long-Term Outcome (Cluster 3, n=39, mean year 2019), and Treatment Outcome (Cluster 9, n=11, mean year 2020). Technology-specific clusters confirmed two distinct RFA approaches: transcervical (Sonata System, Cluster 2, n=45) and laparoscopic (Symptomatic Myoma, Cluster 8, n=13). Citation burst analysis identified Bradley LD (burst strength 5.26) as the most impactful recent author, representing a landmark 2019 systematic review that catalyzed the field. Betweenness centrality analysis revealed artery embolization (centrality 0.26) as the primary intellectual bridge, demonstrating that RFA research is firmly anchored to the established uterine artery embolization literature. Key opinion leaders included Stewart EA (67 citations), Spies JB (46 citations), and Berman JM (40 citations). Emerging research fronts focus on fertility outcomes, with Rabinovici J (burst 3.77) and Berman JM (sigma 1.24) identified as pivotal contributors to reproductive outcomes research. Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis confirms that RFA for uterine fibroids is a rapidly maturing field with a clear trajectory from technical feasibility studies toward rigorous assessment of long-term, patient-centered outcomes. The mapping of collaborative networks and research themes provides clinicians and researchers with a valuable roadmap of the field's intellectual structure and identifies opportunities for future investigation, particularly in standardized reproductive outcome reporting and comparative effectiveness research against myomectomy and UAE.