Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Artificial intelligence is already widely utilized in gastroenterology. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the research hotspots and development trends within the field of AI in gastroenterology by employing bibliometric techniques to scrutinize geographical distribution, authorship, affiliated institutions, keyword usage, references, and other pertinent data contained within relevant publications. METHODS: This investigation compiled all pertinent publications related to artificial intelligence in the context of gastrointestinal polyps and digestive endoscopy from 2003 to 2023 within the Web of Science Core Collection database. Furthermore, the study harnessed the tools CiteSpace, VOSviewer, GraphPad Prism and Scimago Graphica for visual data analysis. The study retrieved a total of 2,394 documents in the field of AI in digestive endoscopy and 628 documents specifically related to AI in digestive tract polyps. RESULTS: The United States and China are the primary contributors to research in both fields. Since 2019, studies on AI for digestive tract polyps have constituted approximately 25% of the total AI digestive endoscopy studies annually. Six of the top 10 most-cited studies in AI digestive endoscopy also rank among the top 10 most-cited studies in AI for gastrointestinal polyps. Additionally, the number of studies on AI-assisted polyp segmentation is growing the fastest, with significant increases in AI-assisted polyp diagnosis and real-time systems beginning after 2020. DISCUSSION: The application of AI in gastroenterology has garnered increasing attention. As theoretical advancements in AI for gastroenterology have progressed, real-time diagnosis and detection of gastrointestinal diseases have become feasible in recent years, highlighting the promising potential of AI in this field.