Trends in Literature on Cerebral Bypass Surgery: A Systematic Review

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Ever since the beginning of cerebral bypass surgery, the role of the bypass has been debated and indications have changed over the last 5 decades. This systematic literature research analysed all clinical studies on cerebral bypass that have been published from January 1959 to January 2020 for their year of publication, country of origin, citation index, role of and indication for bypass, bypass technique, revascularized territory, flow capacity, and title (for word cloud analysis per decade). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A systematic literature research was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and SCOPUS databases. All studies that have been published until January 1, 2020, were included. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of 6,013 identified studies, 2,585 were included in the analysis. Of these, <i>n</i> = 1,734 (67%) studies addressed flow-augmentation bypass and <i>n</i> = 701 (27%) addressed flow-preservation bypass. The most common indication reported for flow augmentation is moyamoya (<i>n</i> = 877, 51%), followed by atherosclerotic steno-occlusive disease (<i>n</i> = 753, 43%). For flow preservation, the most common indication is studies reporting on cerebral aneurysm surgery (<i>n</i> = 659, 94%). The increasing popularity of reporting on these bypass operations almost came to an end with the FDA approval of flow diverters for aneurysm treatment in 2011. Japan is the country with the most bypass studies (cumulatively published 933 articles), followed by the USA (630 articles) and China (232 articles). <b><i>Discussion/Conclusion:</i></b> Clinical studies on cerebral bypass surgery have become increasingly popular in the past decades. Since the introduction of moyamoya as a distinct pathologic entity, Asian countries in particular have a very active community regarding this disease, with an increasing number of articles published every year. Studies on bypass for chronic steno-occlusive disease peaked in the 1980s but have remained the main focus of bypass research, particularly in many European departments. The number of reports published on these bypass operations significantly decreased after the FDA approval of flow diverters for aneurysm treatment in 2011.