A Bibliometric Study of the Most Cited Reports in Central Nervous System Arteriovenous Malformations

Elucidating the pathogenesis behind arteriovenous malformations of the central nervous system: a bibliometric analysis

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are vascular malformations of the central nervous system (CNS) with potential for significant consequences. The exact pathophysiologic mechanism of AVM formation is not fully understood. This study aims to evaluate bibliometric parameters and citations of the literature of AVMs to provide an overview of how the field has evolved. We performed an electronic search on Web of Science to identify the top 100 published and indexed articles with the highest number of citations discussing the pathogenesis of AVMs. This study yielded 1863 articles, of which the top 100 were selected based on the highest total citation count. These articles included 24% basic science, 46% clinical, and 30% review articles. The most-cited article was a clinical article from 2003, and the most recent was published in 2022. The median number of authors was 6, with the highest being 46 for a clinical article. The top 5 journals were identified, with the highest impact factor being 20.1. 13 countries were identified, with the US contributing the most articles (approximately 70%). Regarding genes of investigation, VEGF was one of the early genes investigated, while more interested in RAS/MAPK has been garnered since 2015. There is a growing interest in AVM genomics and pathogenesis research. While progress has been made in understanding clinical aspects and risk factors, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms and genetic basis of AVM formation remain incompletely understood. Further investigation of key genes in AVM pathogenesis can allow identification of potential therapeutic targets.

Current perspectives and trends in the treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations: a review and bibliometric analysis

Background

Currently, there is a lack of intuitive analysis regarding the development trend, main authors, and research hotspots in the field of cerebral arteriovenous malformation treatment, as well as a detailed elaboration of possible research hotspots.

Methods

A bibliometric analysis was conducted on data retrieved from the Web of Science core collection database between 2000 and 2022. The analysis was performed using R, VOSviewer, CiteSpace software, and an online bibliometric platform.

Results

A total of 1,356 articles were collected, and the number of publications has increased over time. The United States and the University of Pittsburgh are the most prolific countries and institutions in the field. The top three cited authors are Kondziolka D, Sheehan JP, and Lunsford LD. The Journal of Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery are two of the most influential journals in the field of brain arteriovenous malformation treatment research, with higher H-index, total citations, and number of publications. Furthermore, the analysis of keywords indicates that "aruba trial," "randomised trial," "microsurgery," "onyx embolization," and "Spetzler-Martin grade" may become research focal points. Additionally, this paper discusses the current research status, existing issues, and potential future research directions for the treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations.

Conclusion

This bibliometric study comprehensively analyses the publication trend of cerebral arteriovenous malformation treatment in the past 20 years. It covers the trend of international cooperation, publications, and research hotspots. This information provides an important reference for scholars to further study cerebral arteriovenous malformation.

Publication Trends of Research on Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to analyze the trends in publications on intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy.

METHODS

We searched Elsevier's Scopus database in February 2022 to find articles focused on ITB therapy. Data extracted included citation count, publication year, author's country and income category, journal and its 5-year impact factor, research type, disease requiring ITB, and target population.

RESULTS

The analysis covered 615 articles from 1985 to 2022. The average citation count per article was 27.47 (95% confidence interval 23.75-31.18) and the mean impact factor was 4.54 (95% confidence interval 3.84-5.24). The majority (76.42%) were primary research, with 8.1% being interventional and 91.9% observational. Even so, one half of the top ten most cited were interventional. Secondary research and case reports made up 12.68% and 10.73% respectively, with narrative reviews making up most of the secondary research (79.48%). Only 1 study conducted a meta-analysis. The United States was the most prolific country. High-income countries published 96.42% of articles.

CONCLUSIONS

The rising number of ITB articles and citations indicates growing interest and expanding knowledge in this field. However, there's a notable scarcity of research from low- and middle-income countries, particularly those with high prevalence of ITB-treatable diseases. The need for more evidence to overcome potential barriers to ITB implementation is emphasized. Despite an increasing number of publications, a large proportion presented low levels of evidence, such as case reports and narrative reviews, highlighting the need for more rigorous research methods to solidify the evidence base for ITB therapy.

A bibliometric analysis and visualization of tension-type headache

Background

Tension-type headache (TTH) is the most prevalent headache in the clinical practice, leading to impaired social activities, work-related disability, and heavy financial burdens. Previous studies have described possible inducement, potential pathophysiology, and clinical management of TTH; however, due to the lack of attention, literature involving bibliometric analysis is sporadic. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the current hotspots and future directions of the TTH field by bibliometric analysis.

Methods

By using CiteSpace and VOSviewer, literature regarding TTH between 2002 and 2021 from the Web of Science database was summarized and extracted. Annual publication trend, the most productive countries/regions and institutions, distribution of categories, co-citation of journals and references, and co-occurrence of keywords were analyzed.

Results

A total of 3,379 publications were included in the final visualization, indicating a stable trend in current research and a lack of breakthroughs over the past decades. These studies were mainly conducted in 120 countries/regions led by the United States and more than 600 institutions. Four eternal core themes were identified in TTH, including neurosciences, nursing, developmental psychology, and general/internal medicine. Cephalalgia ranked first, with the highest number of literature, and is the most influential journal in this area. Keyword analysis demonstrated that the similarities and differences between migraine and TTH, epidemiological studies, clinical double-blind trials, and potential populations have become key issues in the TTH field.

Conclusion

TTH has received less attention and breakthroughs in the past 20 years. To promote coordinated development between regions to fight headaches, cooperation and exchanges between countries and institutions are essential in the future. Relevant studies about headaches in children and adolescents, inducing factors such as emotional triggers and sleep disorders, concomitant diseases, possible pathogenesis, and headache treatments, are in the spotlight in recent years. This study offers a powerful roadmap for further research in this field.

A 10-Year Scientometrics Analysis of Brain Tumors Treated with Gamma Knife Radiosurgery: Visualization, Characteristics, and Scientific Trends

Objective. To evaluate the scientometrics characteristics of the scientific production on the treatment of brain tumors with gamma knife radiosurgery in Scopus. Methods. The Scopus database (Elsevier) was used to collect all relevant studies for this bibliometric analysis. Data was obtained as a .csv file; it was downloaded from Scopus and was exported by SciVal to Microsoft Excel for a presentation using tables for more detailed analysis. The citations and the number of papers for the most productive institutions, authors, countries, and journals publishing scientific papers were analyzed on the use of gamma knife radiosurgery for brain tumors. Results. 458 metadata were obtained from scientific publications, on which inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, leaving 248 studies. The maximum peak of publications was 2018 with 31 publications, and the minimum peak was 2015 with 18. The most related subtopics were neurology, surgery, and oncology, and most of the retrieved papers had only institutional collaboration. As for more productive journals, Journal of Neurosurgery is first with 23 publications; within the countries with the most scientific publications, we have the United States, Japan, and China. With the United States being the country with the highest number of productions, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was the main university with the highest scientific production and Sheehan and Trifiletti and American authors dominate the list with the highest number of documents. Conclusion. Scientific production regarding gamma knife surgery and brain tumors has been increasing during the last 10 years, with a high incidence during 2018, and the highest number of published articles was in the first quartile. Likewise, the United States is the country with the most publications, authors, and universities on the subject. Greater efforts are still lacking from all countries in the world to reach the quantity and quality of production of the United States.

Research in Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak (Rhinorrhea and Otorrhea): A Bibliometric Analysis From 1945 to 2018

Objective

In this study, we aimed to analyze research activity on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks in general and CSF rhinorrhea and otorrhea in particular and to identify the main topic clusters in these areas.

Methods

We identified all relevant documents, using the medical subject heading (MeSH) term “Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak”, that are indexed in the MEDLINE database between 1945 and 2018. We performed a descriptive bibliometric analysis and analyses of networks and research clusters in order to identify the main topic areas of research.

Results

From 1945 to 2018, a total of 4,130 records were published with the term CSF leak, including 2,821 documents (68.1%) with the term CSF rhinorrhea and 1,040 documents (25.8%) with CSF otorrhea. The number of documents published increased from 10 in 1945-49 to 642 in 2010-14. Articles represented the dominant document type (86.8% of the documents analyzed), while case reports were the main type of study (37.4%). In terms of geographical distribution, researchers from the USA led in the number of signatures (39.1%), followed by those from the UK (7.5%). The most active areas of research in the field were “Postoperative Complications,” “Tomography, X-Ray Computed,” and “Magnetic Resonance Imaging.” The terms “Adults,” “Young Adult,” and “Middle-Aged” were most common in CSF rhinorrhea research; and the terms “Infant,” “Child, Preschool,” “Child,” and “Adolescent” were more common in CSF otorrhea.

Conclusions

Based on our findings, articles and case reports related to “Surgery” and “Postoperative Complications” associated with the diagnosis are the main topics of study, highlighting the importance of this document type in advancing knowledge in the field.

The Most Influential Papers in Infectious Meningitis Research: A Bibliometric Study

Background

Bibliometric analyses allow detecting citation trends within a field, including assessments of the most cited journals, countries, institutions, topics, types of study, and authors.

Objective

The aim of this study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of the 100 most cited papers within infectious meningitis research.

Materials and Methods

The 100 most cited publications and their data were retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science during 2019.

Results

The New England Journal of Medicine had the greatest number of articles (27) and citations (12,266) in the top 100. Articles were mainly published after the late 1980s. Bacteria were the most discussed agents (72 articles and 26,362 citations), but Cryptococcus sp represented the most-discussed single agent (16 articles and 6,617 citations). Primary research represented 70 articles and 25,754 citations. Among them, the most discussed topic was Clinical Features and Diagnosis/Outcomes (22 articles and 8,325 citations). Among the 27 secondary research articles, the most common type of study was Narrative Review (18 articles and 5,685 citations). The United States was the country with the greatest number of articles (56) and citations (21,388). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Yale University had the greatest number of articles (six each), being CDC the most cited (3,559).

Conclusions

The most cited articles within meningitis research are primary research studies, more frequently published in high IF journals and by North American institutions. Bacterial meningitis comprises the majority of publications. The articles were mainly published after the AIDS pandemic and after the implementation of the main vaccines for meningitis.

Publication Trends of Nonobstetric Brachial Plexus Injury Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate publication trends in nonobstetric brachial plexus injury research.

METHODS

In September 2020, Scopus was searched for articles on nonobstretric brachial plexus injury. Citation count, year of publication, country of corresponding author and its income category, destiny journal and its 5-year impact factor (IF), and research type were retrieved.

RESULTS

The analysis comprised 1245 articles. Mean number of citations per article was 18.01 (95% confidence interval 16.46-19.55). Mean IF was 3.60 (95% confidence interval 3.25-3.95). The 5 most prolific journals had an IF <5. The journal with the highest number of articles was the Journal of Hand Surgery (American Volume) (n = 70, 5.6%). The most prolific country was the United States (n = 313, 25.1%). There were 913 articles (73.3%) from high-income countries, 246 (19.8%) from upper middle-income countries, and 68 (5.5%) from lower middle-income countries. No articles were from low-income countries. The representation of middle-income countries increased from 2.1% of published articles in 1980-1989 to 40.0% in 2010-2019. Primary research represented 64.0% (n = 797) of articles, while secondary research and case reports represented 13.0% (n = 162) and 23.0% (n = 286) of articles, respectively. Narrative reviews (n = 142, 11.4%;) and systematic reviews (n = 20, 1.6%) comprised articles from the secondary research group.

CONCLUSIONS

While high-income countries still represent the majority of publications, the contribution of researchers from middle-income countries is increasing. The most common destiny journals are field specific, with a relatively low IF. Although most articles are primary research, a representative portion have a shallow level of evidence (case reports and narrative reviews).

The 100 top-cited articles on scrub typhus: a bibliometric analysis

Objective

The aims of this study were to analyze the characteristics of the 100 top-cited articles on scrub typhus (ST), and to assess the present research landscape and future research directions using bibliometric analysis.

Methods

Web of Science was used to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the 100 top-cited articles on ST. The articles were analyzed by publication year, number of citations, document type, journals, keywords, institutions, country of origin, and authorship.

Results

The top 100 articles on ST were published between 1945 to 2017. The number of citations ranges from 39 to 227 and the interquartile range was 35.5. The United States published the highest number (n=21) of articles. Mahidol University was the most prolific institution in terms of articles (n=14). The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene was the journal with the most articles (n=14), and Paris DH was the most productive author in terms of the Hirsh-index, which was 10 for that author. The study revealed a significant correlation between the total number of citations and the number of authors (r=0.668, p < 0.001), number of institutions (r=0.692, p < 0.001), number of years since publication (r=0.869, p < 0.001), and number of countries involved (r=0.963, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The findings of this study provide landmarks in the publication and citation frequency of the most influential articles on ST. In addition, this study provides useful information for readers and health policy-makers in evaluating the literature on ST.

The 100 most cited articles in the endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations

BACKGROUND

The literature base for endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) has grown exponentially in recent decades. Bibliometric analysis has been used to identify impactful articles in other medical specialties. The aim of this citation analysis was to identify and characterize the top 100 most cited articles in the field of endovascular BAVM treatment.

METHODS

The top-cited papers were identified by searching selected keywords ("endovascular treatment," "interventional treatment," "brain arteriovenous malformation," "emboliz(s)ation") on the Web of Science platform. The top 100 articles were ranked according to their number of citations. Each article was further evaluated to obtain predefined characteristics including citation(s) per year, year of publication, authorship, journal-title and impact factor, article topics, article type, and level of evidence.

RESULTS

The top 100 most cited articles for endovascular BAVM treatment were published between 1960 and 2014. The total number of citations for these articles ranged from 56 to 471 (median 85.5). Most articles (76%) were published between 1990 and 2009 in three journals (56%), originated in the USA (52%) followed by France (16%). The most common topic related to embolization agents and the majority of articles constituted level IV or V evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a comprehensive overview of the most cited articles in the field of endovascular BAVM treatment. Our analysis recognizes key contributions from authors and institutions in the field and leads to a better understanding of the evidentiary framework for BAVM treatment.

The Top-100 most cited articles on dural arteriovenous fistula: A bibliometric analysis

Objective

Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is a rare pathological vascular lesion with variable clinical manifestations. Since 1968, several articles have been published to address spinal and cranial DAVFs. The aim of this study is to identify, analyse, and review the pertinent literature of the top-100 most cited articles on DAVFs published to date.

Methods

A title-specific, keyword-based search with no time restriction was performed in June 2020. The Scopus database was used to identify the top-100 most cited articles on DAVFs. The term “dural arteriovenous fistula” was used as a search keyword. The search results were arranged in descending order based on the total citation count. The top-100 articles were categorized into ten categories.

Results

Between 1968 and 2020, a total of 2298 articles were published on DAVFs. The top-100 most cited articles were published between 1983 and 2012. The total number of citations for the top-100 articles was 12393 (123 citations/article). Most articles (34%) were investigating the clinical aspect of DAVFs. The country contributing to the most impactful and highest volume of publications (46%) was the United States. The Mayo Clinic was the most active institute in contribution. Most articles (29%) were published by the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Conclusions

In the top-100 most cited articles on DAVF, most studies were published in neurosurgery/neuroradiology-dedicated journals. This bibliometric analysis identifies the publication trends and provides a comprehensive overview of the most influential articles addressing DAVFs.

A Bibliographic Analysis of the Most Cited Articles in Global Neurosurgery

OBJECTIVE

Global neurosurgery is the practice of neurosurgery with the primary purpose of delivering timely, safe, and affordable neurosurgical care to all who need it. The aim of this study is to identify the most frequently cited articles in global neurosurgery through a bibliographic review to characterize articles and trends around this growing topic.

METHODS

The top most-cited articles in global neurosurgery were determined by searching the Web of Science database using a priori search terms. Articles with at least 5 citations were selected, and there were no time period or language restrictions. The data were extracted from each included article and all characteristics were summarized.

RESULTS

A total of 932 articles were identified using the search terms; 69 articles fulfilled inclusion criteria and 17 articles were selected that had more than 5 citations. The articles' number of citations ranged from 6 to 98 for the most-cited article. Authors from, or affiliated with, 14 countries contributed to the 17 articles, and the country that had the greatest representation was the United States. The main topic discussed was surgical capacity, the second topic was the treatment of different neurosurgical conditions, and volunteerism was the third topic.

CONCLUSIONS

There is currently a deficit in both the amount of literature surrounding the topic of global neurosurgery and how much that literature is cited. Developing innovative ways to increase academic productivity within, or in collaboration with, low-middle income countries is essential to contribute to global neurosurgery.

Conflict in nursing studies: A bibliometric analysis of the top 100 cited papers

AIM

This study aimed to identify and investigate the main characteristics of the top 100 most cited studies on conflict in published in nursing category in the Web of Science database using bibliometric and social network analysis methods.

DESIGN

A retrospective bibliometric analysis was used.

METHODS

The study data were obtained from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The top 100 studies with the highest number of citations were included in the study. The study data were analysed with Excel and SPSS and they were visualized with VOSviewer.

RESULTS

It was concluded that the studies in the research were published in 38 different journals between 1974-2019 and they were conducted by 245 different authors from 24 different countries. It was further reported that the Journal of Advanced Nursing was the most productive journal and the USA was the most productive country. The most commonly used keywords were "nurse," "conflict," "nursing," "job satisfaction," "work-family conflict" and "ethical conflict."

CONCLUSION

The issue of conflict is a growing field of scientific study for nursing researchers. The quality of researches will be certainly enhanced in future with the studies published in journals with high impact factors.

IMPACT

The research of the top 100 most cited paper is a new and innovative bibliometric approach to understand nursing literature. There is very little information about the development, structure and characteristics of the existing mass of knowledge on conflict in nursing studies. The study findings establish a basis of information for planning further studies and providing guidance. In addition, this study provides researchers, scientific journals, institutions and countries with an opportunity to assess and compare their own performance in conflict literature in nursing studies. However, the fact that the most cited studies in the field of conflict in nursing is in demand by journals with high impact factor is a source of motivation for researchers studying in this field.