Recent advances in the treatment of pain in endometriosis: A bibliometric analysis of experimental models

Research (Published online: 27-11-2023)

20. Recent advances in the treatment of pain in endometriosis: A bibliometric analysis of experimental models

Rafael Abreu Lima, Isabela Bastos Jácome Souza, Gustavo Medeiros Frota, Tereza Cristina Monteiro Melo Prazeres, Ingrid Campos Albuquerque, Eduardo Martins de Sousa, Maria do Socorro Sousa Cartagenes, Rafael Cardoso Carvalho, Adalgisa Sousa Paiva Ferreira, and João Batista Santos Garcia

Veterinary World, 16(11): 2329-2339

Rafael Abreu Lima: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Isabela Bastos Jácome Souza: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Gustavo Medeiros Frota: Northeast Biotechnology Network, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Tereza Cristina Monteiro Melo Prazeres: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Ingrid Campos Albuquerque: Department of Nursing, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Eduardo Martins de Sousa: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil; Graduate Program in Microbial Biology, CEUMA University, São Luís, 65-75-120, Brazil.

Maria do Socorro Sousa Cartagenes: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil; Northeast Biotechnology Network, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Rafael Cardoso Carvalho: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Adalgisa Sousa Paiva Ferreira: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

João Batista Santos Garcia: Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, 65085-580, Brazil.

Background and Aim: Treatment of endometriosis involves pain relief which is achieved through the administration of analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with or without the addition of hormone therapy. At present, studies investigating endometriosis pain management using experimental rat models and the use of medications are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically evaluate research trends and critical points in the field of endometriosis pain management using experimental models.

Materials and Methods: A total of 30 publications related to this topic that were published from 2012 to 2022 were retrieved from various databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL, using appropriate English keywords. The quality of the publications was evaluated using impact metrics, productivity, term density mapping, and author network.

Results: The average publication rate was three articles per year, reaching its peak in 2021 at five articles per year. The United States and China were found to be the most productive countries, with 12 and 10 publications per year, respectively. The field of medicine (37.0%) was the most abundant, although the H-index was relatively low (13:13). Term density mapping involved the search of 542 keywords, of which 35 were selected, with only 8 exhibiting significant density.

Conclusion: In the past decade, there has been a shortage of publications that have addressed pain in endometriosis in experimental models and, within this context the majority of the production and publication in this field has been performed by the United States and China. After performing this bibliometric review, it can be inferred that more research is required in this field, to develop new approaches and treatments for endometriotic pain.