Objective To understand the application of micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) in laboratory animal research and predict research hotspots and development trends.
Methods Literature on the application of Micro-CT to laboratory animal research published from January 1, 2014 to July 31, 2024 was searched in the Web of Science Core Collection of Science Citation Index Expanded database. CiteSpace 6.3.R1, VOSviewer 1.6.20, and SCImago Graphica software were used to visually analyze the types, source journals, number of publications, authors, countries, institutions, and keywords of the included literature.
Results A total of 610 articles in English were included, involving 314 source journals; of which, the most published journal was Bone magazine (20 articles), and the most cited journal was Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (409 times). The number of articles related to Micro-CT application in laboratory animal research increased annually, and the highest number of articles was 67 in 2021. The United States was the country with the highest number of publications (217 articles). A total of 4 133 authors from 1 130 institutions were included in the literature, and 7 institutions had more than 10 publications. The highest number of publication was from the University of So Paulo, Brazil (16 articles), followed by the University of Leuven, Belgium (12 articles) and the University of Bern, Switzerland (12 articles). Most of the organizations involved were institutions of higher learning, hospitals affiliated with medical schools and research institutes, etc. The results of keyword co-occurrence, keyword clustering, and keyword burst analyses indicated that the hotspots of current research and the development trend included bone-related disease modeling research (osteoporosis, osteoarthritis) as well as basic research (expression, regeneration, cells, tissue, and surface modification), oral implantation (Porphyromonas gingivalis, oral maxillary sinus lift, and dental implant), and biomaterials implantation (implant).
Conclusions In the past decade, the application of Micro-CT in laboratory animal research has developed rapidly. Hotspots included bone-related disease models and bone-related basic research. The application of Micro-CT in biological implants is a current research hotspot and a future development trend.
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