Top 100 Cited Articles on Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: A Bibliographic Analysis

The landscape of patellofemoral arthroplasty research: a bibliometric analysis

PURPOSE

Patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) was shown to be a potentially effective surgical technique for isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis but varying reports on PFA-related implant failure and complications have rendered the procedure controversial. This study aimed to identify impactful publications, research interests/efforts, and collaborative networks in the field of PFA research.

METHODS

The study used the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, Medline, Springer, BIOSIS Citation Index, and PubMed to retrieve relevant publications on PFA research published between 1950-2022. Statistical tests in R software were used for analysis while VOSviewer, Bibliometrix, and CiteSpace were employed for data visualization.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty-one articles were analyzed with the number of published papers increasing over time. Knee was the most frequent journal and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research was the most cited journal. Clinical outcomes, such as prosthesis survival, revision, and complications, were researched most frequently as demonstrated by keyword analysis. The United States was the top contributor to cooperative networks, followed by the United Kingdom while Technical University Munich formed close ties among authors.

CONCLUSION

Publications on PFA research have witnessed a notable surge. They primarily came from a limited number of centers and were characterized by low-level evidence. The majority of studies primarily focused on the clinical outcomes of PFA, while revision of PFA and patient satisfaction have emerged as new research areas.

The 100 top-cited articles in uveitis from 1950 to 2022

OBJECTIVES

This bibliometric analysis aimed to clarify research characteristics and trends in research on uveitis by analyzing the top 100 most-cited articles.

METHODS

We used the Web of Science database to search articles published in English from January 1, 1950, to February 10, 2022, without other restrictions. The 100 most-cited articles related to uveitis were screened. The publication year, institution, author, journal, country, research topic, and research type of each article were analyzed.

RESULTS

The citations of the top 100 articles ranged from 144 to 2292 times. The years 2004 and 2005 included the largest number of articles published, with 17 in total. Most of the papers were published in Ophthalmology (n = 19), a specialized ophthalmology journal. The top 100 articles originated from 14 countries, with the most from the USA (n = 44). Twenty research institutions and 18 authors contributed two or more articles, with the National Eye Institute (USA) (n = 10) and Robert B. Nussenblatt (n = 10) contributing the most. The types of studies were mainly clinical studies (n = 64), focusing on the treatment of uveitis (n = 36).

CONCLUSION

This study summarizes and analyzes the research characteristics and trends of uveitis. The contribution of the USA is explained, the past and current treatments of uveitis are emphasized, and the directions of future research are clarified.

Publication rates of abstracts presented across 6 major spine specialty conferences

Background

Although scientific researchers aim to present their projects at academic conferences as a step toward publication, not all projects mature to become a peer-reviewed manuscript. The publication rate of meetings can be utilized to assess the quality of presented research. Our objective was to evaluate the contemporary publication rate of abstracts presented at spine conferences.

Methods

We reviewed annual meeting programs of North American Spine Society (NASS), Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST), Spine Global Spine Congress (GSC), Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS), and Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS) from 2017 to 2019. Abstracts were identified as published from PubMed and Google search. From published manuscripts, journal name and open access status was collected. Journal impact factors were collected from the 2021 Journal Citation Reports.

Results

A total of 3,091/5,722 (54%) abstracts were published, ranging from 44.5% to 66.3%. Publication rate of posters and podiums ranged from 39.8% to 64.8% and 51.6% to 67.2%, respectively. Podium presentations were more likely to be published than posters (59.6% vs. 47.2%, p<.001). Only NASS (61.4% vs. 61.8%) and LSRS (64.6% vs. 67.2%) demonstrated similar publication rates for posters and podiums. Award nominated abstracts had a significantly higher publication rate (68.0% vs. 53.4%, p<.001). Among journals with an impact factor, the median overall impact factor was 3.27 and was similar between all conferences except GSC, which was slightly lower (2.72 vs. 3.27, p<.001).

Conclusions

Fifty-four percent of abstracts were published with 3 societies (NASS, LSRS, and SRS) having rates of over 60%. Moreover, NASS and LSRS demonstrated high publication rates regardless of presentation type. These numbers are significantly higher than previous reports suggesting that these conferences allow attendees to review high quality evidence that is likely to achieve peer-reviewed publication while obtaining an early look at original research.

The 50 Most Cited Papers Pertaining to American Football: Analysis of Studies From the Past 40 Years

Background

Bibliometric citation analyses have been widely used in medicine to help researchers gain foundational knowledge about a topic and identify subtopics of popular interest for further investigations.

Purpose

To identify the 50 most cited research publications related to American football.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

The Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database was used to generate a list of publications relating to football. Articles were filtered by the total number of citations, and the top 50 most cited articles studying the sport of football were selected for this analysis. Articles were analyzed by author, publication year, country of origin, institution affiliation, journal, article type, main research topic area, competitive level, and the level of evidence. A total of 247 articles were reviewed to reach the top 50 articles.

Results

The most studied topic within the top 50 articles was concussion/chronic traumatic encephalopathy (n = 40). Collegiate football was the most studied level of competition (n = 25). The journal publishing the greatest number of top articles was Neurosurgery. Two institutions, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Boston University School of Medicine, produced over one-third of top 50 articles (n = 18).

Conclusion

Our analysis indicated that most of the top 50 publications related to the sport of football focused on concussion and CTE, were observational, and were published during or after 2000. The most studied level of competition was collegiate football.

Top 100 cited studies in periacetabular osteotomy for acetabular dysplasia: do lower levels of evidence guide clinical practice?

As no prior study has examined the citations profile of key articles related to periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), our analysis utilized the Web of Science database to (1) identify the most-cited clinical studies relating to PAO in the management of acetabular dysplasia and (2) assess any trends over time with respect to the quality of literature. The top 100 highest-cited studies related to PAO had a mean of 49 citations (range, 6-666 per study). With respect to the level of evidence, most studies had level IV evidence (58%); 1% level I, 16% level II, 28% level III and 2% level V. Most studies were retrospective ( n  = 86); there were 14 prospective studies (including one randomized study). The most common study designs were case series ( n  = 58) and cohort ( n  = 16), followed by matched-cohort ( n  = 13) and case-control ( n  = 6). The mean ± SD Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score was 6.48 ± 1.31. A total of 59 and 41 of the included articles were classified as high risk and high quality, respectively. No studies were classified as very high risk. As a whole, our analysis demonstrated that currently available PAO literature is still of low quality and of low level of evidence. While PAO has been well-documented as a durable procedure for addressing acetabular dysplasia, future research must focus on higher quality, randomized and prospective data to answer key clinical or technique-related topics.

The 100 Most-Cited and Influential Articles in Collegiate Athletics

Background

Bibliometric citation analyses have been widely used in medicine to help researchers gain foundational knowledge about a topic and identify subtopics of popular interest for further investigations. There is a lack of similar research in collegiate athletics.

Purpose

To identify the 100 most-cited research publications related to collegiate athletics.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was used to generate a list of articles relating to collegiate athletics on January 24, 2022. Articles were filtered by the total number of citations, and the 100 most-cited articles were selected. For each article, we identified and analyzed the following: author name, publication year, country of origin, journal name, article type, main research topic area, competitive level, sex of study population, and level of evidence.

Results

Of the top 100 most-cited articles, 63 were related to medicine. In total, 96% of articles were published in the United States, and 80% were published in the year 2000 or later. Of the top 100 articles, 85 were observational; only 5 were experimental. The sport most represented was soccer, followed by football, baseball, and basketball. Of the top 100 articles, 21 were published in a single journal, the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Ten authors published ≥5 of the top 100 most-cited studies.

Conclusion

The majority of top 100 articles were published in the United States after 1999 and primarily focused on medicine-related topics. Soccer was studied by more articles than football, baseball, and basketball. An author's prestige may have influenced the likelihood of citation. The top 100 most-cited studies provide researchers, medical students, residents, and fellows with a foundational list of the most important and influential academic contributions to the literature on collegiate athletics.

The Most Highly Cited Publications on Basketball Originate From English-Speaking Countries, Are Published After 2000, Are Focused on Medicine-Related Topics, and Are Level III Evidence

Purpose

To identify the 50 most highly cited research publications in the sport of basketball.

Methods

Using the Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database and the search term “basketball”, we identified 2,704 articles. These articles were filtered by the total number of citations and the top 50 most cited articles with a central focus on basketball were selected for this analysis. For each article, we further identified and analyzed author name, publication year, country of origin, journal name, article type, main research topic area, competitive level, gender of study population, and the level of evidence.

Results

Medicine-related topics, particularly those involving knee injuries, are more common than nonmedical topics (coaching, sports psychology etc.) among the highest cited articles. Articles originated from 13 different countries, with 48% originating in the United States. Only four authors had more than one article included in the top 50 most cited articles.

Conclusion

A majority of the top 50 research articles were from English-speaking countries, published after 2000, primarily focused on medicine-related topics, and were Level III evidence. Publications examining knee injuries were the most highly cited and appear to be of high interest to current investigators. The prestige of an author’s name appeared to be less influential to the number of citations.

Clinical Relevance

The top 50 most cited articles list will provide researchers, medical students, residents, and fellows with a foundational list of the most important and influential academic contributions to the basketball literature.

Highly Cited Articles in Periacetabular Osteotomy Research

Purpose

The aim of this study is to identify highly cited articles and examine trends and characteristics in research on periacetabular osteotomy.

Materials and Methods

The 50 most highly cited articles on periacetabular osteotomy research were identified using Scopus. Data regarding article demographics and publication were collected from each article and an analysis was performed.

Results

The mean citation count was 125±37. The article with the highest total citation count (796), five-year citation count (327), and five-year citation density (65/year) was reported by Reinhold Ganz. The five-year citation density showed strong correlation with total citation density (r=0.930, P<0.001). Reinhold Ganz, the most productive author, was listed on 13 articles in the cohort with 455 weighted citation points.

Conclusion

This study provides a collection of articles examining periacetabular osteotomies and demonstrates that citation count can be regarded as an acceptable measure of the contemporary academic influence of an article.

Characteristics and Trends of Highly Cited Articles in Calcaneus Fracture Research

Background:

Despite significant effort expended toward exploring fracture patterns, surgical timing, surgical approaches, and possible implants within the calcaneus fracture literature, treatment is still fraught with complications and controversy. This study aims to conduct a citation analysis of the most cited articles related to calcaneus fractures to highlight the most historically influential articles, as well as the more recent breakthrough articles that are leading change within the field.

Methods:

A literature search was performed via Scopus on September 20, 2021 using the terms “(calcaneus OR calcaneal OR hindfoot) AND (fracture OR injury)” to search “article title, abstract, and keywords” of all primary and review articles. Search results were rigorously reviewed to ensure appropriateness for this study. The 50 highest total cited included articles were analyzed. Title, authors, journal, country of origin, institution, year of publication, citation variables (total citation count, total citation density, citation count from the last 5 years, and 5-year citation density), and level of evidence were collected for each article. One-way analysis of variance with post hoc testing was used to identify differences in citation variables and level of evidence. Pearson correlation was used to directly compare different citation variables.

Results:

The total citation count average was 178±33, with a total citation density average of 9±2. The year of publication for the 50 articles ranged from 1948 to 2014, with a median year of 1999. Roy W. Sanders was the most productive author in the field, authoring 6 articles and lead authoring 3. The most frequent level of evidence was IV with 19 articles. There was a strong correlation between total citation density and 5-year citation density. The article level of evidence showed no impact on the included measures of an article’s influence.

Conclusion:

This study successfully analyzes and presents the characteristics among the highest cited articles related to calcaneus fractures. The provided characterization of influential works and authors highlights trends, impactful findings, and future areas of focus within calcaneus fracture literature.

Level of Evidence: Review Article.

A novel anatomo-physiologic high-grade spondylolisthesis model to evaluate L5 nerve stretch injury after spondylolisthesis reduction

L5 nerve palsy is a well-known complication following reduction of high-grade spondylolisthesis. While several mechanisms for its occurrence have been proposed, the hypothesis of L5 nerve root strain or displacement secondary to mechanical reduction remains poorly studied. The aim of this cadaveric study is to determine changes in morphologic parameters of the L5 nerve root during simulated intraoperative reduction of high-grade spondylolisthesis. A standard posterior approach to the lumbosacral junction was performed in eight fresh-frozen cadavers with lumbosacral or lumbopelvic screw fixation. Wide decompressions of the spinal canal and L5 nerve roots with complete facetectomies were accomplished with full exposure of the L5 nerve roots. A 100% translational slip was provoked by release of the iliolumbar ligaments and cutting the disc with the attached anterior longitudinal ligament. To evaluate the path of the L5 nerves during reduction maneuvers, metal bars were inserted bilaterally at the inferomedial aspects of the L5 pedicle at a distance of 10 mm from the midpoint of the L5 pedicle screws. There was no measurable change in length of the L5 nerve roots after 50% and 100% reduction of spondylolisthesis. Mechanical strain or displacement during reduction is an unlikely cause of L5 nerve root injury. Further anatomical or physiological studies are necessary to explore alternative mechanisms of L5 nerve palsy in the setting of high-grade spondylolisthesis correction, and surgeons should favor extensive surgical decompression of the L5 nerve roots when feasible.

The 100 top-cited articles in macular edema from 1950 to 2020

Objectives: Systematically summarize the trend of research and the orientation of macular edema in recent decades by analyzing the characteristics of the 100 top-ranked articles.Methods: The 100 most cited papers on macular edema published from January 1, 1950, to August 27, 2020, were reviewed by Web of Science (including the Scientific Citation Index). The each article is analyzed by extracting information such as the publication date, journal, author, country of origin, institution, number of citations, research topics, and research design types. Results: Among the 100 articles, the highest cited number was 1907, and the lowest cited number was 166. These articles were published in 18 journals from 1983 to 2016, as well as in 10 countries. The most published newspapers were Ophthalmology (n = 51). The countries were the USA (n = 66). Out of 100 articles, 12 institutions and 10 authors contributed over 3 articles. The emphasis of these studies was placed on clinical studies. The most prevalent design type was the randomized controlled trial (n = 42). The etiology on macular edema can be divided into diabetic (n = 68), retinal vein occlusion (n = 21), and other (n = 11), of which the most common research topic is the non-surgical treatment of macular edema (n = 65).Conclusion: This study analyzed the research trends and progress of macular edema in the past 70 years, emphasizing the treatment of diabetic macular edema and the contribution of USA in the study of macular edema.

Bibliometric Analysis of the Top-Cited Articles on Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has been proven to be an effective surgical technique for unilateral compartment osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the top 100 cited articles in the field of UKA research.

METHODS

Publications on UKA from 1980 to 2020 in the Web of Science database were retrieved. The characteristics of the top 100 cited articles were analyzed, including information of publications and citations, level of evidence, and research interests.

RESULTS

The number of publications and citations increased over time. The majority of the highly cited articles were from the Nuffield Orthopedic Centre (Oxford, England) and the Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, USA). Long-term outcome of UKA and comparison between UKA and TKA gathered most research interests. The most frequently occurring keywords were "survival" and "revision." Since 2012, "life quality" and "robotics" have been used. There was no level I evidence, and most studies provided level IV evidence.

CONCLUSION

There was a rising trend in publications and citations in the field of UKA research, the majority of them were from a few centers, and were low-level evidence. Most studies focused on the long-term outcomes of UKA; in recent years, patient satisfaction and navigation surgery have become new research trends.