Plastic Surgery Classics: Characteristics of 50 Top-Cited Articles in Four Plastic Surgery Journals since 1946:

The Most Cited Publications in Abdominal Wall Reconstruction-A Bibliometric Analysis

BACKGROUND

Abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) is a treatment option for structural defects of the abdominal wall. The most frequently cited publications related to AWR have not been quantitatively or qualitatively assessed. This bibliometric analysis characterizes and assesses the most frequently cited AWR publications, to identify trends, gaps, and guide future efforts for the international research community.

METHODS

The 100 most cited publications in AWR were identified on Web of Science, across all available journal years (from May 1964 to December 2023). Study details, including the citation count, main content focus, and outcome measures, were extracted and tabulated from each publication. Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine levels of evidence (LOE) of each study were also assessed.

RESULTS

The 100 most cited publications in AWR were cited by a total of 9674 publications. Citations per publication ranged from 43 to 414 (mean 96.7 ± 52.48). Most publications were LOE 3 (n = 60), representative of the large number of retrospective cohort studies. The number of publications for LOE 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 was 21, 2, 60, 2, and 12, respectively. The main content focus was surgical technique in 44 publications followed by outcomes in 38 publications. Patient-reported outcome measures were used in 3 publications, and no publications reported validated esthetic outcome measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, 3 was the LOE for most frequently cited AWR publications, with more publications below LOE 3 than above LOE 3. Validated outcome measures and patient-reported outcome measures were infrequently incorporated in the studies evaluated.

Most Cited Articles in Body Contouring: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Past 45 Years

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to produce a bibliometric review of the 30 most cited articles related to 6 major domains of body contouring-abdominoplasty, thighplasty, brachioplasty, gluteoplasty, body lift, and liposuction-for resident and fellow education. Methods: The authors utilized the Web of Science Citation Index to identify the 30 most cited articles related to surgery for body contouring published from 1975 to 2020. Articles were classified according to their level of evidence, type of study, and country of publication. Results: A total of 336 articles were reviewed to compile our list. The mean number of citations across the articles was 114.7 ±  SD 86.1. The highest prevalence of the papers was published between 2000 and 2009 (n = 15, 50%). The country with the highest number of contributions was the United States (n = 22, 73%). Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery served as the main journal of publication for these papers (n = 22, 73.3%). The majority of articles were designated for clinical-type studies (n = 26, 86.7%). No basic science or prevalence study design papers were listed. In terms of level of evidence (LoE), most papers were assigned IV (n = 11, 36.7%) and III (n = 7, 23.3%). Conclusions: Our study reveals that the most cited papers in body contouring are of LoE III and IV. Although the LoE of plastic surgery research, in general, has improved, in the past decade, a call for higher quality papers remains. Overall, this analysis provides an easy, electronic starting point for residents and fellows interested in understanding the field's evolution.

Ten-Year Trends in Level of Evidence in Hand Surgery

BACKGROUND

The purposes of this study were to analyze the trends in Oxford level of evidence (LOE), LOE of most-cited articles, and association between LOE and journal impact factor (IF) and SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) over a 10-year period (2009-2018) in 3 prominent hand surgery journals, specifically HAND, Journal of Hand Surgery (American Volume) (JHS), and Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume) (JHSE).

METHODS

All articles published from 2009 to 2018 in HAND, JHS, and JHSE were reviewed for assigned or available LOE. Data were pooled and analyzed for trends in LOE; relationship among IF, SJR, and LOE; and citation density.

RESULTS

A total of 3921 total publications were tabulated from 2009 to 2018, with the majority of studies being level V (1700, 43%) and fewer studies being level I (146, 4%). Over the 10-year study period, there was no significant change in frequency of level I studies for any journal. HAND trended significantly toward higher LOE, JHS trended toward higher LOE, and JHSE trended toward decreased LOE without significance. Among all journals, the annual number of articles and the average LOE were independent significant predictors of IF and SJR. Statistically significant correlations were found between citation density and LOE for JHS and HAND.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher quality evidence is becoming more prevalent in the hand surgery literature over the past 10 years. Annual articles, average LOE, and level I and II and level IV articles were significant predictors of increasing IF and SJR.

The Top 100 Most-Cited Articles on the Treatment of Lymphedema

A multitude of articles have been published on lymphedema management. We aim to identify the 100 most-cited articles on the management of lymphedema and perform a bibliometric analysis. In July 2023, a title-specific search was made on the Scopus database using "lymphedema" as the primary search term. The top 100 most-cited articles were reviewed. The top 100 most-cited articles on lymphedema received a mean citation of 81.7 ± 71.9 per article (range of 11.0 to 420.0). The publication dates ranged from 1977 to 2015. Most of the articles were original (63.0%), interventional studies (35.0%), randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (31.0%), and systematic reviews (32.0%). The largest number of articles (31) were found between 2007 and 2011. The top 10 articles' citation counts ranged from 164 to 420 (mean of 244.7 ± 83.9 citations). Five of these 10 articles were published between the years 1990 and 2000. Twenty-five countries contributed to the 100 most-cited articles. The United States produced the most number of articles (n = 32), followed by Italy (n = 11), Sweden, and Turkey, with seven articles each. Four of the top 10 articles were RCTs; the remaining six were systematic, retrospective, and prospective studies. The New England Journal of Medicine published two of these top 10 articles. Retrospective studies had the highest mean citation with 196.5, followed by RCTs with 100.9. We identified the 100 most-cited articles that depict the advancement in treatment methods for lymphedema. This extensive information directory can be an excellent source for further research.

The 50 most-cited articles in reverse shoulder arthroplasty

Background

Citation analyses have been used to understand the impact that a group of publications has on its field. As the techniques and indications of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) continue to expand, it is important to identify articles that can orient readers to the history, evolution, and current status of the body of RTSA literature. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the 50 most-cited articles related to RTSA.

Methods

Various Boolean queries were searched on the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science. Information collected included author name, publication year, country of origin, journal name, article type, total number of citations, and level of evidence.

Results

Top 50 most-cited articles amassed a total of 10,521 citations. The most-cited article was cited a total of 766 times. The most common study designs were case series (28) and cohort studies (9). Authors from the United States (24) contributed the most to included papers, followed by France (19) and Switzerland (8).

Discussion

The most-cited articles on RTSA are expert opinions, case studies, and cohort studies published by American authors. As RTSA continues to grow over the next decade, studies with higher levels-of-evidence may overtake articles included in this analysis.

Publication Trends and Collaborative Patterns in Periodontics Research from Saudi Arabia: A Bibliometric Analysis

Aim

To perform a comprehensive bibliometric analysis encompassing all articles published on periodontics from Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods

Using the Scopus database on June 8, 2023, the search term "Periodontic*" was entered in the primary search bar to extract all documents published on periodontics. Following, the year filter was applied to include articles published from the earliest available date until the date of data collection, excluding 2023. Next, we used the country/region filter to limit our documents to Saudi Arabia (n = 1929). We used Microsoft Excel (v.16) to examine periodical growth, collaboration patterns, influential institutions, frequently used sources, international research collaboration, and most-cited papers.

Results

Saudi Arabia ranked 11th in periodontics research, contributing 3.43% to the global research output, reaching a peak of 7.63% in 2022. Notably, there was significant growth observed during the last 5 years of the study, with an average of 232.8 documents per year. The analysis of citations revealed that the selected documents received an average of 13.39 citations per document. Indigenous literature received less citation on average compared to internationally collaborated documents. King Saud University ranked first among the most productive institutions in Saudi Arabia, accounting 40.74% of the total output. The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice published the highest number of documents, followed by the Saudi Dental Journal and the Journal of Periodontology. In terms of citation impact, the Journal of Periodontology emerged as the most influential, with an average of 32.83 citations per document. Research collaboration was most prevalent with researchers from the United States (22.03%), although Germany ranked first in terms of citation impact.

Conclusion

Saudi Arabia's contribution to periodontics research has shown significant growth in recent years. The collaborative efforts with international researchers, particularly those from the United States, have played a crucial role in fostering advancements within the field.

Fifty Most-Cited Research Articles in Elbow Surgery: A Modern Reading List

Purpose

Bibliometric analysis is a common method for evaluating current trends within a scientific field. The primary aim of this study was to define and analyze the 50 most frequently cited articles in the field of elbow surgery, both of all time and those published during the 21st century.

Methods

We searched the Journal Citation Report to identify articles related to elbow surgery within academic journals. Articles were sorted by total citations. The overall top 50 articles and those published since 2000 were identified, and data were collected, including title, journal of publication, publication year, country of publication, citation density, level of evidence, article type, institution, and sex of the lead and senior authors, and inclusion on the reference list for the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination within the last 5 years. Descriptive statistics were reported, and correlation analysis was performed using Spearman test.

Results

For the most-cited elbow surgery articles, "fracture" was overall the most reported topic, whereas "lateral epicondylosis" and "fracture" were equal for those published since 2000. The United States was the most represented overall and for articles published since 2000. Women comprised 1/50 (2%) of lead authors overall, increasing to 8/50 (16%) for articles published during the 21st century. Most articles in during both periods contained level IV evidence, with level I evidence appearing infrequently (4%). Six percent of the most-cited articles of all time had appeared on the reference list of the Orthopaedic In-Training Examination within the past 5 years.

Conclusions

The top 50 most-cited elbow surgery articles often assess fracture and lateral epicondylosis, most commonly originating from the United States. Level IV retrospective series comprises over half of the articles on this list. Women remain underrepresented as authors.

Clinical Relevance

This study provides a modern reading list for upper-extremity surgeons about impactful elbow surgery articles.

Bibliometric Analysis of the Top 50 Most Cited Studies on Achilles Tendon Pathology

Background

The development of Achilles tendon treatment modalities has been rapid, and it is increasingly difficult for clinicians to stay up to date with the most influential studies in this field. In order to fully understand the current state of the literature regarding Achilles tendon injury, it is invaluable to be familiar with the foundational articles and studies upon which the field is built.

Purpose

To objectively determine the 50 most frequently cited studies in Achilles tendon pathology and to conduct a bibliometric analysis.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was used to gather data and metrics of Achilles tendon research. The 50 most cited articles were selected for analysis from an initial 17,244 identified articles. The information extracted for each article included author name, publication year, country of origin, journal name, study type, and level of evidence.

Results

For these 50 studies, the total number of citations was calculated to be 13,159, with a mean of 263.2 citations per paper. The most cited article collected 657 citations. The publication dates of the 50 studies included in this analysis spanned 41 years (1972-2013). The largest number of articles were published by Swedish authors (n = 14); however, many other countries were represented, including Canada and Finland (n = 6 articles each). The most prevalent study designs were cohort studies (n = 13) with level 4 evidence studies being the most common (n = 14).

Conclusion

Among the 50 most influential articles in Achilles tendon pathology, the study designs most commonly used were cohort studies and review articles. Sweden was the country of origin for the most studies included on this list, which reflects this country's interest and commitment to researching Achilles tendon injuries and treatments.

Research hotspots and trends of microRNAs in intervertebral disc degeneration: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in various pathological processes, such as proliferation, growth, and apoptosis, of intervertebral disc (IVD) cells and play an important role in the development of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Although some studies have reported the role of miRNAs in IDD, scientific econometric analysis in this field is not available.

OBJECTIVES

We designed this study to describe the current research trends and potential mechanisms associated with the role of miRNAs in IDD and to provide new ideas for future research in this field.

METHODS

We conducted a bibliometric analysis of the publications on the role of miRNAs in IDD included in the Web of Science core collection database to elucidate the current research trends in this field. The potential mechanisms were constructed using the Arrowsmith project.

RESULTS

We found that the number of miRNAs and IDD-related publications increased over the years. China was the most important contributor to research in this field. The top three institutions in terms of number of articles published were Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Xi'an Jiao Tong University. Shanghai Jiao Tong University had the highest number of citations. Experimental and thermal medicine had the maximum number of documents, and Cell promotion had the most citations. The journal with the most mean times cited per study was Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The author Wang K had the highest number of publications, and Wang HQ had the highest number of citations. These two authors made important contributions to the research in this field. The keyword analysis showed that recent studies have focused on miRNAs regulating nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis and proliferation. Moreover, we revealed the potential mechanisms of miRNAs associated with IDD, including miRNAs regulating the extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, mediating cartilage endplate (CEP) degeneration, and participating in inflammatory responses.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated the knowledge map of miRNAs and IDD-related research through bibliometric analysis and elucidated the current research status and hotspots in this field. The mechanisms by which miRNAs regulate the apoptosis and proliferation of degenerated IVDs, promote ECM degradation, mediate CEP degeneration, and participate in inflammatory responses should be explored in further studies.

The 100 Most-Cited Manuscripts on Blepharoptosis: A Bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

We conducted a bibliometric analysis of blepharoptosis, obtained the top 100 most-cited articles, and then researched the characteristics of every article.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Web of Science Citation Index was utilized to identify articles related to blepharoptosis written in English published from 1900 to 2021 using predefined search terms. Then, the returned results were screened, and the top 100 most-cited articles were individually classified based on publication year, country of publication, source journal, total citations, authors' specialty, level of evidence, main subject, and type of study.

RESULTS

The 100 most-cited articles were published between 1948 and 2014. The number of citations/articles ranged from 49 to 743. Ophthalmology journals made the greatest contributions to landmark literature (n=61). The primary focus of these 100 studies was the surgical technique (n=41). The majority of them (n=52) only achieved level 4 evidence, as a high proportion of these articles were case series (n=52). The most common country of publication was the United States (n=59).

CONCLUSIONS

Our bibliometric analysis provides insight into the citation frequency of the most-cited articles on blepharoptosis. The landmark, highly cited articles that have shaped the landscape of blepharoptosis were identified. The results from these top 100 cited articles are helpful for present current surgical decision-making.

Altmetric Analysis of the Most Mentioned Articles Online in the Contemporary Craniofacial Surgery Literature

As online media acquires increased utilization as a means of disseminating scientific research, Altmetric analyses are useful to identify socially impactful publications and their characteristics. Accordingly, the objective of this investigation was to determine the most mentioned articles online regarding craniofacial surgery and compare these articles with their most cited counterparts. Using the Web of Science database, 7097 craniofacial surgery publications were identified. Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) and average citations per year (ACpY) were extracted, and articles were ranked by their social and scientific impact. Descriptive, comparative, and correlational analyses were performed to examine characteristics including AAS, ACpY, country of origin, journal, open access (OA) status, publication year, study design, and topic. The average AAS of the 50 most mentioned articles was 83.68 (SD±107.40), and the average citation count of the 50 most cited articles was 76.38 (SD±35.15). OA status was significantly more prevalent among the most mentioned articles (24.0%) relative to all articles (10.72%) and the most cited articles (4.0%). The most mentioned and the most cited articles primarily originated from the United States (64.0% and 38.0%, respectively), discussed topics related to the medical and surgical management of patients (48.0% and 58.0%, respectively), and were systematic reviews (16.0% and 28.0%, respectively). However, there was significantly more geographic diversity in the latter cohort. In summary, this comparative examination reveals important differences between the most mentioned and most cited articles, highlighting the distinct utility of AAS and citation count when evaluating research impact.

A Bibliometric Study of the Pediatric Inguinal Hernia Publication Landscape from the Web of Science Database

Background

The number of times a research work gets cited by another article is one of the article-level metrics for assessing the quality of a research publication. Citation analysis by bibliometric review has been performed in several disciplines. The current study was aimed to systematically review the literature available on pediatric inguinal hernia since 1960 in terms of the 25 most cited articles in this field and analyze the bibliometric variables author and organizational collaborative patterns.

Methods

Thomson Reuters Web of Science citation indexing database and research platform were used to retrieve the most cited articles in pediatric inguinal hernia (PIH) using appropriate search strings. The characteristics (name of authors, the total number of authors, the title of publication, journal of publication, year of publication, etc.) of the 25 top-cited articles were recorded. Specific bibliographical parameters were derived and analyzed. Visualization maps were generated using VOSviewer software.

Results

The analysis revealed that the Journal of Pediatric Surgery was leading the choice of journal for publication. While most of the publications originated from the United States of America, Schier was the most influential author. Five of the eight top-productive authors are also the most connected.

Conclusion

Articles on laparoscopic repair in PIH have been heavily cited. Following the United States of America, Turkey stands out as the topmost productive country in PIH. The publications on PIH show that "collaboration" is the bridging force between productivity and influence on the academic community.

The 50 Highest Cited Papers on Shoulder Arthroplasty

The purpose of this study was to determine the 50 most cited articles on shoulder arthroplasty (SA) and their characteristics. The Thomson ISIWeb of Science was searched with the following search terms: "shoulder arthroplasty", "shoulder replacement", "shoulder prosthesis" and "shoulder implant". All papers dealing with SA, including its perioperative and postoperative management, were included in this study. Citations ranged from 797 to 52 for the 50 highest cited papers on SA. According to absolute numbers, the top 10 papers were cited at least 118 times. Overall, 78% (n = 43) were clinical and the remaining articles were basic science research (one anatomic, six biomechanical). The most prevalent level of evidence was IV (72%). The Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery published 40% of the studies. The majority of studies were conducted in the United States and eight other countries. The publication years of the most-cited articles ranged from 1991 to 2020, with the 2000s accounting for the most articles (96%) and the period from 2006 to 2010 with the absolute largest number of articles (17). This article provides a building block in the SA surgery.

Citation Analysis in Breast Reconstruction Publications Between 2000 and 2010

Introduction and Purpose: Breast reconstruction is an active area of plastic surgery research. Citation analysis allows for quantitative analysis of publications, with more citations presumed to indicate greater influence. We performed citation analysis to evaluate the most cited papers on breast reconstruction between 2000 to 2010 to identify contemporary research trends. Methods: The SCI-EXPANDED database was used to identify the 50 most cited papers. Data points included authorship, publication year, publication journal, study design, level of evidence, number of surgeons/institutions, center of surgery, primary outcome assessed, implant/flap/acellular dermal matrix/fat graft, acellular dermal matrix brand and use with implants/flaps, fat graft use with implants/flaps, unilateral/bilateral, one-/two-stage, immediate/delayed, number of patients/procedures, complications. Descriptive analysis of trends was performed based on results. Results: 20% of papers were published in 2006, 16% in 2007 and 12% in both 2004/2009. 66% were published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The majority were retrospective or case series, and of Level III or IV evidence. The one Level I study was a prospective multicenter trial. 21 and 7 papers discussed procedures by single/multiple surgeons, respectively. Results from single/multiple centers were discussed in 18 and 6 papers, respectively. 30 papers discussed implant-based reconstruction, 22 papers flap-based (19 microsurgical), 15 papers acellular dermal matrix, and five papers fat grafting. The primary focus in the majority was complications or outcomes. Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrates continually evolving techniques in breast reconstruction. However, there is notable lack of high quality evidence to guide surgical decision-making in the face of increasing surgical options.

A 20-Year Analysis of Global Authorship Trends in Craniofacial Literature: Is the United States Falling Behind?

INTRODUCTION

Recent advances in craniofacial surgery have occurred in conjunction with a global proliferation of research. Although previous studies have examined geographic publication trends, little is known about these trends in the craniofacial literature.

METHODS

All craniofacial articles published from 2000 to 2020 in 3 premier craniofacial surgery journals were evaluated in 5-year increments. Geographic origin, manuscript type, and authorship characteristics were collected. Changes in publication output, geographic origin, and content were analyzed.

RESULTS

In total 3864 articles were analyzed, with the United States (U.S.) (33.46%) accounting for the majority, followed by Asia (27.04%), the Middle East (16.23%), and Europe (14.65%). The proportion of articles from the U.S. decreased significantly in the in the 20-year span (48.28% versus 33.53%, P < 0.001), whereas those originating from Asia and the Middle East increased significantly (18.62% versus 31.41% and 10.34% versus 15.66%, respectively, P < 0.001). After stratifying and selecting for regions with the greatest changes in publication output, the authors observed significant trends for the number of original investigations from 2000 to 2020 in the U.S. (Odds Ratio [OR] 1 versus 2.4, P < 0.001) and in Asia (OR 1 versus 1.8, P = 0.0052). Additionally, a significant trend in editorial/correspondence publications originating in the U.S. (OR 1 versus 0.74, P = 0.0102), Europe (OR 1 versus 0.38, P = 0.0186), and Asia (OR 1 versus 0.48, P = 0.0051) was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite rising craniofacial publications over the past 2 decades, there has been a diminishing proportion originating from the U.S.

The top 100 most impactful articles on the anterior cruciate ligament: An altmetric analysis of online media

Objectives:

To identify the top 100 most impactful anterior cruciate ligament articles in online media as measured by the Altmetric Attention Score and compare their characteristics to the most-cited anterior cruciate ligament articles in the scientific literature.

Methods:

The Altmetric database was queried to identify all published articles pertaining to the anterior cruciate ligament. The search yielded 9445 articles, which were stratified by highest to lowest Altmetric Attention Score. The top 100 articles were included. Collected data included article type, article topic, journal name, and online mentions in news, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia, and other sources. The geographic origin of each article was also determined based on the institutional affiliation of the first author.

Results:

Altmetric Attention Score of the top 100 anterior cruciate ligament articles ranged from 109 to 2193 (median 172.0, interquartile range 137.5–271.5). Of the 100 articles, 65 were published in three journals: American Journal of Sports Medicine, British Journal of Sports Medicine, and Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. The most prevalent article type was original research (60%), followed by systematic review/meta-analysis (18%). The most prevalent article topic was rehabilitation and return to play after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (22%), followed by epidemiology/risk factors (16%), injury prevention (14%), and biomechanics of anterior cruciate ligament injuries (14%). Of the top 100 articles, 54% were American, 31% were European, and 15% were published in other countries outside of the United States and Europe.

Conclusion:

This study used Altmetric Attention Score to identify the 100 most engaged anterior cruciate ligament articles in online media. The characteristics of these articles differed substantially from the most-cited anterior cruciate ligament articles in the literature with regard to article type, article topic, geographic origin, and publication journal. These findings suggest that alternative metrics measure distinct components of anterior cruciate ligament article engagement and add an important dimension to understanding the overall impact of published research on the anterior cruciate ligament.

The Top 100 Most Cited Journal Articles in Pediatric Neurosurgery

With the many papers published in the field of pediatric neurosurgery, it is often difficult to recognize those that have the most impact on future papers, i.e., citable papers. However, citation analysis allows one to better understand which papers are impacting the field the most. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate this literature. The Journal Citation Report database was searched for publications with the words “pediatric neurosurgery” or “pediatric neuro” in the title. Using the Web of Science Core Collection, the top 100 journal articles in pediatric neurosurgery from the selected journals were identified and citation analysis was used to identify the most impactful articles. A search was performed on Web of Science Core Collection by searching for each journal under “Publication Name” and using the Boolean “OR” function to separate fields. The results were ordered by the “Times Cited” category, which provided a list of all the articles from the eight journals appearing in the most cited order. The timeline used was from 1976 to 2021. The top 100 most cited articles were extracted from this list for analysis. The following variables were collected from each scientific article: publication journal, impact factor of journal, title, number of citations, year and month of publication, and type of article. Eight journals were identified on the basis of our search criteria and the articles were sorted by most cited; 1609 pediatric neurosurgery journal articles were screened to select the 100 most cited since 1976. This compilation could serve to help clinicians and researchers to familiarize themselves with the journal articles included in terms of study type, study field, journal of publication, and recurring authors.

The 50 Most Cited Articles on Meniscus Injuries and Surgery from 2000 to 2019 Focus on Arthroscopic Repair or Removal, Originate from Institutions Within the United States and Were Published Before 2010

Purpose

To identify the 50 most cited original articles on meniscus injury and surgery from 2000 to 2019, and to perform a bibliometric analysis of the identified articles.

Methods

A Clarivate Web of Science search, completed in June 2020, generated a list of the most cited articles related to meniscus research. Articles were sorted by number of times cited, and review articles or those unrelated to the meniscus were removed. Articles were classified as basic science or assigned the appropriate level of evidence. Extracted data included title, authors, journal, year of publication, country/institution of origin, total number of citations, and number of citations per year.

Results

The final list of 50 included articles with a range of 106 to 490 citations and a mean of 162.34 total or 11.91 citations per year. The most cited articles appeared in 8 of the most influential journals in the field per the Journal Citation Index. Twenty-nine (58%) originated from institutions within the United States, and only 13 (26%) were published in 2010 or later. Overall, 25 (50%) were classified as therapeutic, only 5 (10%) were therapeutic randomized controlled studies, and 17 (34%) were basic science. “Arthroscopic meniscal repair or meniscectomy” appeared most frequently, with 16 (32%) falling into this subclassification.

Conclusion

This study of the most cited meniscus articles showed a strong predominance for therapeutic studies, studies generated and published within the United States, and studies focused on topics of arthroscopic repair or removal. Overwhelmingly, included articles were published before 2010, affirming the criticism that bibliometric analysis favors older articles.

Clinical relevance

This study provides information about which articles are driving the field relating to meniscus injuries and meniscus surgery in the last two decades.

The 100 Most-Cited Articles in Liposuction: A Bibliometric Analysis

BACKGROUND

Liposuction is one of the most common cosmetic surgical procedures performed worldwide. Despite previous citation analyses in plastic surgery, the most-cited works in liposuction have not yet been qualitatively or quantitatively appraised. We hypothesized that use of validated outcome measures and levels of evidence would be low among these articles. Thus, we performed a bibliometric analysis aiming to comprehensively review the most-cited liposuction literature, evaluating characteristics and quality of the top 100 articles.

METHODS

The 100 most-cited articles in liposuction were identified on Web of Science, across all available journals and years (1950-2020). Study details, including the citation count, main subject, and outcome measures, were extracted from each article by 2 independent reviewers. The level of evidence of each study was also assessed.

RESULTS

The 100 most-cited articles in liposuction were cited by a total of 4809 articles. Citations per article ranged from 602 to 45 (mean, 92). Most articles were level of evidence 4 (n = 33) or 5 (n = 35), representative of the large number of case series, expert-opinion articles, and narrative reviews. Ten articles achieved level of evidence 3, 22 articles achieved level of evidence 2, and none reached level 1. The main subject was operative technique in 63 articles, followed by outcomes in 32 articles. Five articles assessed the metabolic effects of liposuction. Only 1 article used a validated objective cosmetic outcome measure, and none used validated patient-reported outcome measures.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis provides an overview of the top cited liposuction literature. Overall, level of evidence was low, and no articles achieved the highest level of evidence. Improving the quality of literature requires prioritization of better-designed studies and incorporation of validated outcome measures, which will increase patient satisfaction and ensure provision of excellent, reproducible clinical care.

Top 100 cited articles on hemodialysis: A bibliometric analysis

INTRODUCTION

This study was conducted to better understand hemodialysis by reviewing the most-cited articles related to it.

METHODS

We searched articles on the Web of Science and selected the 100 most frequently cited articles. Subsequently, we reviewed these articles and identified their characteristics.

RESULTS

The 100 most frequently cited articles were published in 21 journals. The majority of these papers were published in the following journals: Kidney International (26 articles), New England Journal of Medicine (18 articles), Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (14 articles), and the American Journal of Kidney Disease (13 articles). The 100 most-cited articles were published in 25 countries. The United States of America was the country with the highest number of publications (65 articles). The University of Michigan was the institution with the highest number of articles (14 articles). FK Port was the author with the largest number of publications (13 articles).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study in the field of nephrology that provides a list of the 100 most-cited articles on hemodialysis. Through this study, clinicians will be able to recognize major academic interests and research trends in hemodialysis.

Dissemination and Implementation Science in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Perfecting, Protecting, and Promoting the Innovation That Defines Our Specialty

SUMMARY

Plastic and reconstructive surgery has an illustrious history of innovation. The advancement, if not the survival, of the specialty depends on the continual development and improvement of procedures, practices, and technologies. It follows that the safe adoption of innovation into clinical practice is also paramount. Traditionally, adoption has relied on the diffusion of new knowledge, which is a consistent but slow and passive process. The emerging field of dissemination and implementation science promises to expedite the spread and adoption of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice. The field is increasingly recognized as an important function of academia and is a growing priority for major health-related funding institutions. The authors discuss the contemporary challenges of the safe implementation and dissemination of new innovations in plastic and reconstructive surgery, and call on their colleagues to engage in this growing field of dissemination and implementation science.

Citation classics: the 50 most cited articles in surgery in Asia

Objective: The term ‘citation classics’ is used for highly cited papers in the scientific literature. It was aimed to understand the current landscape of academic surgery and the quality of the scientific contribution of authors belonging to Asia using citation classics.

Material and Methods: We searched the WoS core collection database under the category ‘surgery’ to include the 50 most cited articles whose lead author was affiliated to an Asian country during the research period. We noted the following characteristics for each article: total citations, average cita- tions per year, year of publication, publishing journal, institution and country, journal quartile and impact factor, authorship, field of surgical research. Results were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics v26.

Results: The number of citations ranged from 447 to 1170 (mean +/- SD is 616.9 +/- 150.16) and citations per year ranged from 10.04 to 98.17 (mean +/- SD is 30.87 +/- 17.27). Most productive decade was 1991-2000 (n= 19 articles). Majority of the articles were published in ‘Annals of Surgery’ (28%). Four authors contributed two or more articles as lead author with ‘Poon RTP’ taking the lead. Japan’s contribution was highest (60%) followed by China and its dependents’ (26%). University of Hong Kong was the leading institution (n= 7). Observational study was the most commonly used design (n= 24). Most papers belonged to gastrointestinal surgery (n= 28) and surgical oncology (n= 26). 66% articles originated from a single institution, 22% had inter-institutional collaboration and 12% had national collaboration from countries outside Asia.

Conclusion: The study identified the most influential papers in surgery from Asia. This should provoke interest in academic surgery and research col- laboration with other nations in Asia and the rest of the world.

The 100 Most-disruptive Articles in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Sub-specialties (1954-2014)

Alternative bibliometrics have recently been the subject of significantly increased interest. The disruption index is a new bibliometric that was recently applied to surgery and urology and identifies papers that shift paradigms and eclipse previous research in a given field.

METHODS

The 100 most-disruptive publications in the 14 most prominent plastic and reconstructive surgery and subspecialty journals were identified.

RESULTS

We present the 100 most-disruptive studies as well as the 100 most-cited studies for comparison in n=14 of the most popular plastic and reconstructive surgery (and subspecialty) journals between 1954 and 2014. The 100 most-disruptive publications in these journals were more disruptive than 99.8% of all PubMed papers. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS) had the most papers in the top 100 (n=64) followed by British Journal of Plastic Surgery (currently Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, n=15), and Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (n=7). PRS had 9 of the top 10 papers. However, Clinics in Plastic Surgery had the highest average disruption score for all its published papers (0.0029). The correlation coefficient linking disruption scores and citation counts was 0.01 and 0.11, respectively. The most common decade represented in the top 100 was the 1980's (n=31) and the least common was the 2000's (n=9).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first application of the disruption index to plastic and reconstructive surgery. The disruption score provides a unique ability to identify research that has shifted paradigms and driven the innovation that defines our specialty.

Top 100 most influential manuscripts in erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common condition encountered by an array of subspecialists and is the most cited research topic within the field of andrology. This bibliometric analysis aims to identify the most influential papers that inform current clinical practice and likely shape future research. The Thompson Reuters Web of Science citation database was interrogated using search terms to cover the breadth of erectile dysfunction. Results were ranked according to citation number with country of origin, journal, topic, year of publication, author and institution also analysed. The search criteria matched 12,570 manuscripts. The top 100 highest citation ranged from 3013 to 161 (median 229.5). The most cited manuscript reports the prevalence and risk factors of ED within the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. The most manuscripts were published by the Journal of Urology (n = 15) with a total of 7913 citations. Institutions from the USA contributed the majority (n = 55) with the UK (n = 14) second. The most common theme represented was epidemiology (n = 46) followed by treatment (n = 27). This analysis provides a list of the most influential manuscripts within ED and illustrates what can be considered a 'highly citable' paper. The most influential papers in Erectile Dysfunction remain seminal works from the end of the last century. The most cited manuscript has been cited 194 times in the last 17 months showing its continued value. Only one paper published within the last decade has reached the top twenty exemplifying the relative lack of novel influential publications.

The Top 50 Most-Cited Shoulder Arthroscopy Studies

Purpose

To determine the 50 most frequently cited studies in the orthopaedic shoulder arthroscopy literature and to conduct a bibliometric analysis of these studies.

Methods

The Clarivate Analytics Web of Knowledge database was used to gather data and metrics using Boolean queries to capture all possible iterations of shoulder arthroscopy research. The search list was sorted so that articles were organized in descending order based on the number of citations and included or excluded based on relevance to shoulder arthroscopy. The information extracted for each article included author name, publication year, country of origin, journal name, article type, and the level of evidence.

Results

For these 50 studies, the total number of citations was calculated to be 13,910, with an average of 278.2 citations per paper. The most-cited article was cited 1134 times, whereas the second- and third-most cited articles were cited 920 and 745 times, respectively. All 50 articles were published in English and came from 7 different orthopaedic journals. The United States was responsible for most of the included articles (31), followed by France (9) and Japan (3).

Conclusions

The majority of the most-cited articles in shoulder arthroscopy are case series and descriptive studies originating from the United States. In addition, more than one half of the top 50 most-cited studies were published after 2004, which suggests that article age may be less important in the accumulation of citations for a rapidly growing field like shoulder arthroscopy.

Clinical Relevance

The top 50 most-cited studies list will provide researchers, medical students, residents, and fellows with a foundational list of the most important and influential academic contributions to shoulder arthroscopy.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Top Cited Articles in Sports and Exercise Medicine

Background:

Although citation analysis is common in many areas of medicine, there is a lack of similar research in sports and exercise medicine.

Purpose:

To identify and examine the characteristics of the 100 top cited articles in the field of sports and exercise medicine in an effort to determine what components make an article highly influential.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Methods:

The Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases were used to determine the 100 top cited articles from 46 journals in the field of sports and exercise medicine. Each of the 100 articles was then analyzed by 2 independent reviewers, and results were compared. Basic information was collected, including journal title, country of origin, and study type. Different categories were compared using descriptive statistics of counts or percentages.

Results:

The 100 top cited articles were published in 15 of the 46 identified sports and exercise medicine journals, with the most prolific being Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (n = 49), American Journal of Sports Medicine (n = 18), and Sports Medicine (n = 7). In terms of country of origin, the top 3 contributors were the United States (n = 65), Canada (n = 9), and Sweden (n = 8). The most commonly researched anatomic areas were the knee (n = 15) and the brain (n = 3). Narrative reviews were the most common study type (n = 38), and only a single study on the 100 top cited articles list used a randomized controlled trial design. The most prevalent fields of study were exercise science (55% of articles) and well-being (16% of articles).

Conclusion:

Narrative reviews from the United States and published in English-language journals were the most likely to be highly cited. In addition, the knee was a common anatomic area of study on the top cited list of research in sports and exercise medicine

Top 100 Most Influential Manuscripts in Congenital Abdominal Pediatric Surgery: A Bibliometric Analysis

Bibliometric analysis identifies the most influential manuscripts that shape our understanding of various congenital gastrointestinal pathologies. This study sets out to analyse the 100 most cited manuscripts on congenital gastrointestinal surgery. The Thomson Reuters Web of Science database was searched for all manuscripts relevant to paediatric congenital gastrointestinal surgery. The number of citations, authorship, publication date, journal of publication, institution and country were recorded for each paper. Eigenfactor and impact factor rankings were obtained for each journal of publication. 971 eligible manuscripts were returned by the search. Within the top 100 manuscripts, the most cited paper (by Metkus et al.) investigated fetal diaphragmatic hernia and was cited 413 times. University of Indianapolis had the most publications (n=5) and Journal of Pediatric Surgery had the most citations (n=3231). The country with the most publications in top 100 were the USA (n=39). The most commonly published topics were diaphragmatic hernia (n=23), abdominal wall defect (n=20) and atresia (n=6). The most cited manuscripts include various topics with a primary focus on the aetiology, diagnosis, management and outcome of diaphragmatic hernia and abdominal wall defects. Additionally, by collecting the most influential works, this study serves to reference what makes a manuscript 'citable'.

The 50 Highest Cited Papers on Rotator Cuff Tear

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to determine the 50 most cited articles on rotator cuff tear and their characteristics.

METHODS

Thomson ISI Web of Science was searched for the following search terms "rotator cuff" and "tear." The following characteristics were determined for each article: author(s), year of publication, source journal, geographic origin, article type (and subtype), and level of evidence for clinical articles.

RESULTS

The number of citations ranged from 1558 to 253. The 50 most often cited articles were published in 7 journals. The majority of the articles (n = 46) were clinical, with the remaining representing some type of basic science research. Among clinical articles, the case series (n = 23) was the most common article subtype. Nine articles were methodologic in that they proposed a new classification/scoring system or technique. The most common level of evidence was Level IV (n = 31).

CONCLUSION

This article provides clinicians, researchers, and trainees with a group of articles that should be taken into consideration as building blocks in the treatment of rotator cuff tears.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, literature review.

Multidimensional indicators of scholarly impact in the skin oncology literature: is there a correlation between bibliometric and altmetric profiles?

Introduction: Bibliometric and altmetric analyses are used to identify landmark publications in their respective research field. We hypothesised that highly cited skin oncology articles correlate positively with the Oxford Evidence Based Medicine scoring level, altmetric score (AS) and rank within the top 100 manuscripts.Methods: Thomson Reuter's Web of Science citation indexing database was searched to identify all English-language skin oncology full-text articles in the last 75 years. The top 100 articles with the highest citation count were analysed by subject matter, publishing journal, author, year, institution, individual and five-year impact factor, AS and Oxford EBM level. Results: 180,132 articles were identified. The most cited article (Hodi et al.) demonstrated improved survival with ipilimumab in patients with metastatic melanoma (7894 citations). The article with the highest AS was Esteva et al. (AS = 576.7, 'dermatologist-level classification of skin cancer with deep neural networks'). No difference was found between evidence level and citation count (r = -0.1239, p = 0.2291), but a significant difference was seen for AS (r = -0.3024, p = 0.0028). AS scores increased over time, whereas bibliometrics did not. Conclusion: This work highlights the most influential work in the skin oncology field in the last 75 years. We have identified a differential relationship between commonly used metrics and evidence level in the field of skin oncology. As the digitalisation of research output and consumption increases, both bibliometric and altmetric analyses need to be considered when an article's impact is being assessed.

The top 100 most-cited papers in long non-coding RNAs: a bibliometric study

Up to 90% of the human genome is transcribed into Long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that longer than 200 nucleotides but do not code for proteins. LncRNAs play a vital role in a broad range of biological process, it's dysregulations and mutations are linked to the development and progression of various complex human diseases. Given the dramatic changes and growing scientific outputs in lncRNAs field, using a quantitative measurement to analyze and characterize the existing studies has become imperative.Bibliometric analysis is a widely used tool to assess the academic influence of a publication or a country in a specific field. However, a bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most-cited papers in lncRNAs area has not been conducted. Thus, we executed a bibliometric study to identify the authors, journals, countries and institutions that contributed most to the top 100 lncRNAs list, characterize the key words and focus of top 100 most-cited papers, and detect the factors related to their successful citation. This study provides a comprehensive list of the most influential papers on lncRNAs research and demonstrates the important advances in this field, which might be benefit to researchers in their paper publication and scientific cooperation.

Applications of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins in Dentistry: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background

Many articles on bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been published. Bibliometric analysis is helpful to determine the most influential studies in a specific field. This bibliometric analysis is aimed at identifying and analyzing the top 50 most-cited articles on the dental applications of BMPs.

Methods

An electronic search was conducted using the Web of Science (WoS) “All Databases” without any restriction of language, study design, or publication year. Of 1341 publications, the top 50 were included based on their citation count. After downloading the full texts, their bibliometric data including publication title, authorship, citation count, current citation index 2019, citation density, year of publication, country and institution of origin, journal of publication, type of BMP, study design, evidence level of publication, and keywords were extracted and analyzed.

Results

The citation counts for the top 50 publications ranged from 81 to 557 (median 113.5). The most prolific year was 1997 (n = 7). Wikesjö UM (n = 12) and Wozney JM (n = 11) were the major contributors in this study. Most of the articles were generated primarily from the USA (n = 24), with Loma Linda University Medical Center, USA being the most prolific institution (n = 5). Majority of the articles were published in the Clinical Oral Implants Research and Journal of Periodontology, with nine publications each. Most of the publications were animal studies (n = 30) and focused on BMP-2 (n = 39). Most of the articles were within evidence level V (n = 36). The most frequently used keyword in the top articles was “bone regeneration” (n = 23).

Conclusion

The present study presents insights into the past and recent trends in the applications of BMPs in dentistry. A statistically significant association was observed between citation count, citation density, and age of publication.

Systemic Manifestations of the Periodontal Disease: A Bibliometric Review

This bibliometric review aimed to identify and analyze the top 100 most-cited publications on the systemic manifestations of periodontal disease (PD). A literature search was performed using the Web of Science (WoS) 'All Databases', without any restriction of language, publication year, or study design. Of 4418 articles, the top 100 were included based on their citation count. After downloading the full texts, their bibliometric information was extracted and analyzed. The citation counts for the top 100 articles ranged from 156 to 4191 (median 217). The most productive years were 2003 and 2005, with 20 articles on the list. Majority of the articles were published in the Journal of Periodontology (n = 25). The top 100 articles were generated primarily from the USA (n = 61). Most of the publications were clinical trials (n = 27) and focused on the cardiovascular manifestations of PD (n = 31). Most of the articles were within the evidence level V (n = 41). A total of 58 studies received funding and the most frequently used keyword in the top articles was "periodontal disease" (n = 39). The current citation analysis presents insights into the current trends in the systemic manifestations of periodontal disease.

What Is Driving Paradigm Shifts in Plastic Surgery and Is Cosmetic Surgery Keeping Up?

BACKGROUND

Cosmetic surgery represents 20 to 30 percent of total plastic surgical volume. The authors hypothesize that with current capitalization and market share, cosmetic surgery should be proportionally represented in scientific innovation.

METHODS

All journals that may contain articles relevant to plastic surgery were selected from the 2016 edition of Journal Citation Reports. The authors identified, reviewed, and analyzed the 100 top-cited plastic surgery clinical articles using the Science Citation Index Expanded (1900 to 2017) as a proxy for innovation.

RESULTS

The top-100 articles were cited a median of 329.5 times (range, 240 to 1709 times). Sixteen journals were represented, led by Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (45 percent) and Annals of Surgery (15 percent). Fifty-six percent were reconstructive, 13 percent were breast, 11 percent were pediatric/craniofacial, 11 percent were cosmetic, and 9 percent were hand/peripheral nerve articles. Only 11 percent of articles represented level of evidence I or II, with the majority (79 percent) of articles being level IV. Sixty-seven percent of publications originated from United States. The 11 cosmetic articles originated from different subspecialties: injectables, fillers, and fat grafting (n = 7); contouring (n = 2); facial cosmetic (n = 1); and general cosmetic (n = 1).

CONCLUSIONS

Cosmetic innovation is not keeping up with reconstructive innovation; it is unknown why cosmetic surgery is lacking. The authors offer several speculations as to why there is a gap in cosmetic surgical research and, by proxy, innovation.

Bibliometric Analysis of 100 Top-Cited Articles in Gastric Disease

Objectives

The bibliometric analysis uses the citation count of an article to measure its impact in the scientific community, yet there is still no comprehensive summary of gastric disease researches via bibliometric analysis. We aimed to evaluate the situations and trends of the most cited articles in gastric disease via bibliometric analysis and to provide physicians a practical guide in assessing the most influential articles written on this subject.

Methods

The 100 top-cited articles in gastric disease were compiled using Web of Science. The articles selected were evaluated for their number of citations, year of publication, country of origin, type of study, and others.

Results

The database had 484,281 articles published between 1965 and 2019. The most cited article received 4,017 citations and the least received 604, with a mean of 1,149 citations. We classified the articles into seven categories: gastric cancer (n = 53), Helicobacter pylori (n = 17), ulcer (n = 7), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (n = 6), gastritis (n = 5), gastric bypass surgery (n = 2), and others (n = 10). Altogether, 69 of the articles were from the USA (n = 41), the UK (n = 17), and Japan (n = 11). Among all the institutions, Royal Perth Hospital led the list with 5 articles. One-quarter of authors owned three or more of these top-cited articles. The 100 papers were published in 33 journals, and most of them were clinical researches (n = 47).

Conclusions

Our study provides a historical perspective for the scientific progress of gastric disease, and the articles of significant findings that contributed great impact on the prevention and treatment of gastric disease had been identified.

Top 100 Cited Articles on Sleep Medicine: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the top 100 cited articles dedicated to sleep medicine published in journals that have made key contributions to the field. Methods: We performed a search of journals and selected 100 top-cited articles by utilizing the Institute for Scientific Information database available under the banner of the Web of Science. Next, we manually reviewed the contents of the top 100 cited articles. We examined the characteristics of the articles, such as the number of citations, ranking, authorship, article title, year of publication, publishing journal, publication type, and topic categories. Results: The top-cited articles were published in 49 journals, and the most frequently cited journal was Sleep (23 articles). The top 100 cited articles originated from institutions in 9 countries, with the USA contributing 67 articles. The institution associated with the largest numbers of sleep medicine citation classics was Stanford University (11 articles). Morin CM, who was the first author for 6 articles, was listed most frequently in the sleep medicine citation classics. The publication years were concentrated in the 2000s, when 42 articles were published. The topics included 35 insomnia studies, 25 sleep physiology studies, 22 obstructive sleep apnea studies, and 19 other studies. Conclusions: The present study provides a detailed list of the most-cited articles on sleep medicine. This currently relevant approach provides an opportunity to recognize the classic articles on sleep, to provide useful insights into international leaders, and to describe research trends in the field of sleep medicine.

The 100 Most Impactful Papers in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery over the Last 25 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Orthopaedic Literature

Introduction Despite growth in hand/upper extremity investigation, impactful studies have not been thoroughly identified. Previous studies have been limited in scope. This study sought to identify and characterize the most impactful orthopaedic papers in hand/upper extremity over the past 25 years.

Materials and Methods The top 1,000 hand/upper extremity orthopaedic studies published from 1992 to 2017 were identified with Web of Science. After screening for relevance in order of decreasing citation number, the top 100 articles were identified for bibliometric analysis.

Results The mean number of authors and citations were 4.51 (range, 1–21) and 169.4 (range, 105–863). Common study types included, case series (n = 52), randomized controlled trial (n = 17), and prospective cohort (n = 16), which predominantly covered topics related to shoulder (n = 34), wrist/forearm (n = 21), and hand (n = 17). Among wrist/forearm and hand studies, distal radius fractures (n = 12) and nerve-related topics (n = 10) were most frequently analyzed. Most studies were of level IV (n = 51) and level II (n = 16) evidence. Recent studies had greater impact (mean citations/year: 2011, 82.7/year vs. 1992, 16.1/year).

Conclusion Most of the 100 top orthopaedic articles in hand/upper extremity were of level IV or II evidence, retrospective, and nonrandomized. Despite an observed recent increase in level I studies, a lack of prospective, randomized trials is apparent.

Differences in Highly-Cited and Lowly-Cited Manuscripts in Plastic Surgery

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of research comparing journal articles that accrue numerous citations with those that accrue few citations over time. Understanding differences between journal articles can help direct investigators in designing and conducting their research.

METHODS

Using advanced bibliometric tools, we queried four plastic surgery journals (Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery, Annals of Plastic Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Microsurgery) for primary research articles published between 1998 and 2008 accruing zero or one citations with at least a 10-y lag time. Forty-seven articles were identified as low citation and were compared with an equal number of articles in the same journals that accrued the highest number of citations in the same period as high citation (HC). The data were analyzed using Student t-tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, chi-square tests, and Fisher exact tests. The level of significance was established at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

When compared with the HC cohort, the low citation articles were more likely to be nonclinical (P < 0.001), have no plastic surgery authors (P = 0.0026), and focus on the field of microsurgery (P = 0.003). The HC cohort was more likely to have higher sample sizes (P = 0.0339), focus on aesthetic/cosmetic surgery (P = 0.003), have a higher number of other disciplines included on authorship (P < 0.001), references (P = 0.0451), manuscript pages (P < 0.001), and words in the abstract (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A small number of articles published in four plastic surgery journals were uncited during a 10-y period. There are qualitative and quantitative differences between highly and lowly cited articles in the plastic surgery literature. Investigators should consider these differences when designing and conducting studies.

Citation Classics on Dental Caries: A Systematic Review

Objective  A systematic search was performed for the identification and analysis of the 100 most often cited articles on dental caries and to highlight the changing trends in the field of dentistry over time.

Materials and Methods  The search was performed without any restriction on the study design, publication year, or language using the Web of Science (WoS) group of Clarivate Analytics enabling the search through “All Databases.” Based on the citation count as available in WoS, the articles were sorted in a descending manner. Information regarding each article was then extracted, which included its authorship, counts of citation (in other databases), citation density, current citation index (2019), publication year, country of publication, journal of article, evidence level based on study design, and keywords description.

Results  The count of citation for each article varied in each database, that is, 175 to 2,003 in WoS, 89 to 1,981 in Scopus, and 126 to 3,492 when searched in Google Scholar. The highest number of articles ( n = 10) related to dental caries were published in 2004. A total of 301 authors made valuable contributions to this field, out of which J.D. Featherstone had coauthored 6 articles. A significant negative correlation ( p < 0.01) was found between the age of the article and the citation density ( r =–0.545). However, a nonsignificant correlation ( p = 0.952) occurred between the age of publication and the citation count ( r = 0.006).

Conclusion  The results of this systematic review provide a critical appraisal of the context underpinning scientific developments in the field of dental caries and also highlighted trends in clinical management and research.

Levels of Evidence in Plastic Surgery Research: A 10-Year Bibliometric Analysis of 18,889 Publications From 4 Major Journals

BACKGROUND

Improving the quality of research published in plastic surgery literature has been recognized as a difficult and time-intensive process. Despite significant progress over the last decade, leaders in the field continue to advocate for higher-quality studies to better inform clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate and analyze trends in the levels of evidence (LOEs) of the plastic surgery literature over the last decade in 4 major journals.

METHODS

After systematic review of all articles published between 2008 and 2017 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Annals of Plastic Surgery, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, and Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ), included articles were assigned an LOE and classified according to study design and category.

RESULTS

In total, 8211 articles were included. Case series and reports represented 36.1% and 13.6% of studies, respectively. Additionally, 27.2% were retrospective cohort studies, 8.2% prospective cohort studies, 3.9% systematic reviews, and 2.9% randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Overall, the percentage of Level I/II studies has increased from 10.9% in 2008 to 17.3% in 2017. ASJ published the greatest proportion of Level I/II studies (23.2%) and RCTs (5.1%) of all the journals. There were significant differences in the distribution of Level I/II studies by journal (P < 0.001) and category (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Over the past decade, plastic surgery journals have published higher-quality research and a significantly greater proportion of Level I and II studies. The field must continue to strive for robust study designs, while also recognizing the importance of lower-LOE research.

Landmarks in Facial Rejuvenation Surgery: The Top 50 Most Cited Articles

BACKGROUND

Facial rejuvenation procedures are common in plastic surgery.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to report the 50 most cited articles in the field of aesthetic facial rejuvenation surgery and provide a simple educational resource for plastic surgeons.

METHODS

The authors utilized the Web of Science Citation Index to identify the 50 most cited articles related to surgery for facial rejuvenation published from 1950 to 2019. Articles were classified according to their level of evidence, type of study, country of publication, and topic of interest: facelift, blepharoplasty, brow lift, neck lift, or combined areas.

RESULTS

The mean number of citations per article was 137, and the majority of articles (n = 19) were published between 1990 and 1999. The most prevalent topic was facelift surgery (n = 24), followed by articles discussing combined procedures (n = 13), blepharoplasty (n = 6), brow lift (n = 4), and neck lift (n = 3). Most of the articles were classified as clinical (n = 26), followed by basic science studies (n = 12) and review articles (n = 12). Among the articles amenable to grading level of evidence (n = 26), most (n = 24) presented their findings utilizing level IV evidence. The nation of origin for most of the articles (n = 41) was the United States.

CONCLUSIONS

Articles addressing facelift surgery represented the largest proportion of peer-reviewed landmark publications in aesthetic facial surgery research. A simple educational resource is presented to encourage the appreciation of the research in this field.

100 Years of the Journal of Dental Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Since its inception in 1919, the Journal of Dental Research has continually published high-quality articles that span the breadth of research topics relevant to dentistry, oral surgery, and medicine. As part of the journal’s centennial celebration, we conducted an electronic search on Scopus to identify and analyze the top 100 most cited articles from 1919 to 2018. Since Scopus does not capture older citations, we conducted an additional analysis by Google Scholar to identify key articles published in the first 50 y of the journal. Based on Scopus, the articles were ranked in descending order per their citation counts. The citation counts of the 100 most cited articles varied from 262 to 1,503. The year in which the largest number of top 100 articles were published was 2004 ( n = 6). Within the top 100, the majority of articles originated from the United States ( n = 52). Research Reports–Biomaterials & Bioengineering was the most frequent category of cited articles ( n = 35). There was no significant association between total citation count and time since publication (correlation coefficient = –0.051, P = 0.656). However, there was a significant negative association of citation density (correlation coefficient = –0.610, P < 0.01) with time since publication. Our analyses demonstrate the broad reach of the journal and the dynamics in citation patterns and research agenda over its 100-y history. There is considerable evidence of the high variance in research output, when measured via citations, across the globe. Moreover, it remains unclear how patients’ priorities and dental health care needs are aligned with the perceived influence of single research pieces identified by our search. Our findings may help to inspire future research in tackling these inequalities and highlight the need for conceptualizing research priorities.

Critical Evaluation of the Methodologic Quality of the Top 50 Cited Articles Relating to Knee Dislocation and Multiligamentous Knee Injury

Background:

Many studies have evaluated the management of knee dislocations (KDs) and multiligamentous knee injuries (MLKIs). However, no study to date has analyzed the quality of the most cited articles in this literature.

Hypothesis:

There is a positive correlation between the number of article citations in the KD and MLKI literature and their methodologic quality.

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Methods:

The Web of Science online database was searched to identify the top 50 cited articles in KD and MLKI care. Demographic data were recorded for each study. The Modified Coleman Methodology Score (MCMS) and the Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies (MINORS) were used to analyze the methodological quality of each article. Spearman correlation coefficients (r_s) were then calculated.

Results:

The articles identified were published between 1958 and 2015 in a wide variety of peer-reviewed journals (n = 16). The majority of study level of evidence (LOE) was of low quality (level 5, 16%; level 4, 54%; level 3, 16%; level 2, 14%). There were no studies of level 1 evidence. The mean MCMS and MINORS scores were 29.0 (SD, 19.1; range, 3-72) and 6.1 (SD, 3.7; range, 0-14), respectively. No significant correlation was identified between the number of citations and the publication year, LOE, MCMS, or MINORS (r_s = 0.123 [P = .396]; r_s = 0.125 [P = .389]; r_s = 0.182 [P = .204]; and r_s = 0.175 [P = .224], respectively). Positive correlations were observed between improved MCMS and MINORS scores and more recent year of publication (r_s = 0.43 [P = .002]; r_s = 0.32 [P = .022]) as well as improved study LOE (r_s = 0.65 [P < .001]; r_s = 0.67 [P < .001]).

Conclusion:

The top 50 cited articles on KD and MLKI care consisted of low LOE and methodological quality, with no existing level 1 articles. There was no significant correlation between the number of citations and publication year, LOE, or study methodological quality. Positive correlations were observed between later publication date and improved methodological quality.

A bibliometric analysis of the 103 top-cited articles in endodontics

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the 100 top-cited articles in endodontics and analyse their bibliometric characteristics. Material and methods: The Web of Science database was reviewed to identify the relevant articles. Results: One hundred and three articles were included because the last four articles had the same number of citations. The top-cited article received 2115 citations. The articles were published in 28 different journals, with the most popular publication being the Journal of Endodontics (n = 36). The most prolific country was the United States (n = 41), followed by Sweden (n = 17) and Switzerland (n = 8). The most prolific author and institution were M. Torabinejad (n = 12) and Umeå University (n = 9), respectively. The majority of articles were of a basic science nature (n = 55), while endodontic microbiology (n = 24) was the most frequent subspecialty. The most common study design used in clinical articles was non-randomized experimental study (n = 5). Half of the clinical articles (n = 11) had a level III evidence score. Conclusions: The present citation analysis provides insights into the historical progress and current trends in endodontics.

The 100 most cited manuscripts in esophageal motility disorders: a bibliometric analysis

Background

The use of bibliometrics can help us identify the most impactful articles on a topic or scientific discipline and their influence on clinical practice. We aimed to identify the 100 most cited articles covering esophageal motility disorders and examine their key characteristics.

Methods

The Web of Science database was utilized to perform the search, using predefined search terms. The returned dataset was filtered to include full manuscripts written in the English language. After screening, we identified the 100 most cited articles and analyzed them for title, year of publication, names of authors, institution, country of the first author, number of citations and citation rate.

Results

The initial search returned 29,521 results. The top 100 articles received a total of 20,688 citations. The most cited paper was by Inoue et al. (665 citations) who first described peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) for treating achalasia. The article with the highest citation rate was the third version of the Chicago Classification system, written by Kahrilas and colleagues. Gastroenterology published most papers on the list (n=32) and accrued the highest number of citations (6,675 citations). Peter Kahrilas was the most cited author (3,650 citations) and, along with Joel Richter, authored the highest number of manuscripts (n=14). Most articles were produced in the USA (n=66) between the years 1991 and 2000 (n=32).

Conclusions

By analyzing the most influential articles, this work is a reference on the articles that shaped our understanding of esophageal motility disorders, thus serving as a guide for future research.

The Upsurge in Research and Publication on Articular Cartilage Repair in the Last 10 Years

This study aims to study the publication trends in articular cartilage repair (ACR) techniques, over the last 10 years. A literature search was performed on the PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases. We used suitable keywords and Boolean operators (articular cartilage injury AND "marrow stimulation OR microfracture (MFx)," "osteochondral autograft," "osteochondral allograft" and "autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI)," "scaffold"), on January 1, 2019. Trends in publication on these topics were analyzed, focusing on publications over the last 10 years, type of research, authors, institution, and country. There was an increasing trend in publications related to ACR. A search on PubMed revealed 698, 225, 293, 857, and 982 documents on searching for "articular cartilage" AND "marrow stimulation OR microfracture," "osteochondral autograft," "osteochondral allograft," "ACI," and "scaffold," respectively. Similar searches revealed 1154, 219, 330, 1727, and 2742 documents on Web of science and 934, 301, 383, 944, and 2026 on SCOPUS, respectively, in the same order of topics. Overall, most papers were published from the United States and European countries, and Cole BJ was the most published author. There was an increasing trend in the number of publications as well as citations, with international collaboration among researchers. It implies that this field is growing rapidly. The authors from globally recognized and leading clinical institutions in the developed world contributed maximally to these publications. Most of these papers were published in high-impact arthroscopy subspecialty journals. Level of evidence: Level IV.