A bibliometric analysis of the 50 most cited papers in cleft lip and palate

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.

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 Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis of Published Literature on Osteoporosis Vertebral Compression Fracture

Background

With the aging population growth in the world, the prevalence of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) is rapidly increasing and receiving widespread attention. Although there are numerous articles on the topic, the research status and hotspot analysis are unclear.

Objective

The goal of this study is to identify trends in the OVCF field and to analyze the most highly cited original articles published in the Web of Science Index on OVCF using bibliometric analysis.

Methods

All OVCF data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection, and the number of citations, institutions, journals, countries, and years of publication in this field were visually analyzed using VOSviewer, the bibliometrics online analysis platform, and Excel software. Simultaneously, the top 100 most cited articles were extracted and analyzed.

Results

A total of 756 publications were related to OVCF were included from 1900 to 2022. In recent years, the number of articles on OVCF significantly increased. They are mainly from 41 countries/regions and 202 journals, led by China and the United States. Among all countries, China had the most significant contribution on OVCF (n = 363), and it also was cited most often (n = 3337). The institution with the most articles was Soochow University (n = 40). Osteoporosis International was the journal with most studies and has published 50 on this field. The journal of Spine was cited most often (n = 1968). The most productive periods were from 2016 to 2020, which received 294 articles and 4868 citations. After the analysis, the “vertebroplasty” and “kyphoplasty” of OVCF have been the most common research hotspots.

Conclusion

This study represents an updated bibliometric analysis of OVCF. The aim is to identify current research hotspots and future trends to guide clinicians and researchers in this field.

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.

A Bibliometric Analysis of the Most Cited Articles in Global Reconstructive Surgery

BACKGROUND

A substantial global inequality exists between surgical need and the availability of safe, affordable surgical care. Low- and middle-income countries have the greatest burden of untreated surgical disease and addressing this inequity is the goal of the Global Surgery movement. Reconstructive surgery is a fundamental component of Global Surgery as it is central to the appropriate treatment of trauma, burns, wounds, and congenital malformations. The objective of this study was to analyze the most frequently cited articles in the field of global reconstructive surgery to understand the main publication trends.

METHODS

The 25 most cited articles relating to global reconstructive surgery were identified from all available journals through the Web of Science online database. The following data were extracted from each included article: title, source journal, publication year, total citations, average citations per year, authors, main subject, reconstructive surgery subspecialty, country, and institution of origin.

RESULTS

The average number of citations per article was 21.7 (median, 19; range, 10-40). Most articles originated from the United States, and only 1 originated from a low-income country. The majority of the articles focused on cleft lip and palate (CLP) (72%), with few articles discussing burns or trauma. The main discussion themes were the quality of care provided in low- and middle-income countries both by local and visiting teams, the burden of diseases in relation to global reconstructive surgery, and the impact of surgical interventions economically and on patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of research articles and citations related to global reconstructive surgery are limited. Despite having a lower incidence than burns or trauma, there is a preponderance of reports focusing on missions treating CLP. These findings suggest that more research funding could be invested in global reconstructive surgery for conditions other than CLP.

A Scientometric Analysis of the 50 Most Cited Articles for Reconstruction of the Lower Extremity

Background

Lower extremity reconstruction has always been a challenge. Some of the published articles had a major impact on the field but are often not considered as classics because they have fewer citations. We therefore conducted a scientometric analysis of the most cited articles with a focus solely on the lower limb.

Methods

A search was conducted on Medline, the Web of Science database, Google Scholar, and Scopus identifying articles relevant to reconstructive surgery of the lower limb. All journals were included with no time frames. Articles relating solely to orthopedics or vascular reconstruction were excluded. The number of citations obtained were then plotted and compared between the different search engines. The mean citation number was calculated by taking into consideration the total number of years since the article's first year of publication. Articles were then ranked and classified according to their authors, their years of publications, and their countries. They were furthermore categorized and analyzed.

Results

Highly cited articles were easily retrieved with Google Scholar, mostly published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (n = 37) and were mainly authored by American Medical Centers (n = 22). Fifty-four percent (54%) of these classic articles discussed the design of new flaps or were anatomical studies.

Conclusions

We were not able to find a correlation between the year of citation and the number of citations. The citation pattern of a paper cannot be predicted, but a majority of highly cited article allowed the design of new reconstructive techniques.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Cleft Lip and Palate-Related Publication Trends From 2000 to 2017

OBJECTIVE

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is the most common human cranial and maxillofacial birth defect. The aim of this bibliometric analysis was to provide an overview of the development of CLP-related research.

METHOD

Cleft lip and palate-related studies published from 2000 to 2017 were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded core database. Publication date, journal, authors, first authors, keywords, and citations were extracted and quantitatively analyzed using Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder software. The word matrix and co-occurrence matrix were established, and the co-citation analysis, keyword clustering, and social network analysis (SNA) of highly cited papers were completed.

RESULTS

A total of 9040 articles were retrieved from the 18 years of publications that were searched. The number of documents steadily increased over the period of interest, with a slight decrease in 2016 and 2017. This article separately examined the top most cited papers and high-frequency keywords from 3 time periods: 2000 to 2005, 2006 to 2011, and 2011 to 2017. The strategy coordinates of citation reflect TGF-β3, MSX1 gene, technique for cleft lip repair, TTF2, P63, IRF6 gene, FGF signaling, PVRL1, TGFBR2, and BMP4 gene as areas of research interest in the field. Moreover, the SNA of keywords highlighted new research topics: meta-analysis, cone beam computed tomography, tooth agenesis, case-control study, association study, micrognathia, DiGeorge syndrome, NSCL/P, UCLP, GWAS, MTHFR, and CLPTM1L.

CONCLUSION

We conducted bibliometric research of CLP across an 18-year span. The results help to define an overall command of the latest topics in CLP and provide insight for launching new projects.

Worldwide research productivity in the field of back pain: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to show the world research productivity in the field of back pain and to help researchers follow the scientific development and promote the cooperation in this field.

METHODS

Web of Science (WoS) database was searched from 1995 to 2016 without other restrictions. The keywords were as follows: "lumbar NEAR pain," "back pain," "dorsalgia," "backache," "lumbago," "back NEAR disorder," and "discitis." The following information of retrieved articles was analyzed: countries/territories, journals, publication year, authors, citation reports, and institutions. Publication activity was further adjusted for countries by gross domestic product (GDP) and population size.

RESULTS

A total of 50,970 articles were retrieved in WoS database from 1995 to 2016. The United States published the biggest number of articles (16,818, 33.00%), followed by England (4,582, 8.99%), Germany (3,871, 7.60%), Canada (3,613, 7.09%), and Australia (3,063, 6.01%). Sweden ranked the first after adjusted for publication, and Netherlands ranked the first after adjusted for GDP. Besides, there was positive correlation between total number of publications and GDP for each country (P < .05). Harvard University was the most productive institution (917, 1.80%), Maher CG was the most productive author (229, 0.45%) and Spine was the most popular journal (3605, 7.07%) in the field of back pain research. Moreover, the article titled "Clinical importance of changes in chronic pain intensity measured on an 11-point numerical pain rating scale" in Pain had the highest citations (1749).

CONCLUSION

There was a significant increase in annual publications concerning back pain research worldwide. The total number of publications was positively associated with GDP in main productive countries. The United States was the most productive country, Harvard University was the most productive institution, Maher CG was the most productive author and Spine was the most popular journal in the field of back pain.

The 50 Most Cited Articles in Facial Plastic Surgery

Bibliometric analysis is a common method to determine the most influential articles in medical specialties, as it is an objective measure of peer recognition of scientific work. This study is the first bibliometric analysis of the literature in facial plastic surgery, to determine the most cited papers in the field. Bibliometric analysis was performed using the Science Citation Index from the Institute for Scientific Information, accessed through the Web of Science™. Filter terms relevant to the field of facial plastic surgery were used to identify the 50 most cited journal articles between 1900 and 2016. The median number of citations was 150 (range 116-1091). The articles spanned a wide range of topics in the field, with the most common topics being free flap reconstruction (n = 10), nasal surgery (n = 9), and rhytidectomy (n = 6). The majority of these articles (n = 29) presented findings supported by level IV or V evidence. This analysis provides an overview of the most cited articles in facial plastic surgery, many of which introduced some of the most fundamental principles and techniques in the field. These landmark articles represent important educational points that should be reviewed by all clinicians and trainees in this field. Level of Evidence III This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

A Bibliometric Analysis of the 100 Most-cited Articles in Rhinoplasty

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Introduction:

Citation analysis aims to quantify the importance and influence of a published article within its field. We performed a bibliometric analysis to determine the most highly cited articles within rhinoplasty and their impact on current practice.

Methods:

The 100 most-cited articles relating to rhinoplasty, between and inclusive of January 1864 to September 2015, were extracted from Web of Science in October 2015. Title, source journal, publication year, total citations, average citations/year, type of article, level of evidence, country of origin, main focus, use of outcome measures, incorporation into “Selected Readings in Plastic Surgery,” and funding status were recorded.

Results:

The total number of citations per article ranged from 61 to 276 (1.5–12.1 average citations per year). Surgical technique was the focus of 53% of articles, particularly those for reconstruction (75%). The United States produced 72% of articles compared with 8% from the United Kingdom. The top 100 articles were published within 20 journals; “Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons” contributed the most articles (n = 57). None of the articles achieved level 1 or 2 of evidence (Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine levels of evidence, 2011), with most achieving level 4 evidence (n = 64). Case-series were the most popular methodology (n = 37). Few articles used validated outcome measures (n = 21). Twenty-nine percent were referenced in “selected readings.” Eighty-nine percent were unfunded studies.

Conclusions:

These top 100 articles are used in current teaching material and underpin surgical decision making. Developing and using validated objective assessment tools will benefit surgeons, patients, and the greater scientific community in objectively evaluating techniques with the most favorable results.

Breast Microsurgery in Plastic Surgery Literature: A 21-Year Analysis of Publication Trends

Introduction Microsurgical reconstruction of the breast represents an area of continual evolution, as new autologous flaps are introduced and principles are refined. This progression can be demonstrated by bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature. Methods The top 10 plastic surgery journals were determined by impact factor (IF). Each issue of every journal from 1993 to 2013 was accessed directly, and all articles discussing microsurgery on the female breast were classified by authors' geographic location, study design, and level of evidence (LOE, I-V). The productivity index and productivity share of each geographic region was calculated based on number of articles published and IF. Results A total of 706 breast microsurgery articles were analyzed. There was a significant increase in microsurgical breast research (p < 0.01), with an average 33.6 ± 31.1 articles per year and a mean increase of 4.4 articles per year. Most research was of lower LOE, with level I constituting 0.14% and level II constituting 5.21% of all articles. United States contributed the most research with 336.4 articles, followed by Western Europe with 242.2. However, Western Europe experienced the greatest increase in productivity share, with + 0.50 ± 0.29 growth, while United States demonstrated the greatest decrease in productivity share with - 1.23 ± 0.31 growth. Among autologous flaps, transverse rectus abdominis muscle research had the greatest yearly publication volume until 2002, when overtaken by deep inferior epigastric perforator flap research. Conclusion Over the 21-year study period, the United States not only contributed the greatest volume of research on female breast microsurgery but also demonstrated the greatest decline in research productivity. Efforts should be made to increase the LOE in breast microsurgery research.

Milestones Contributing to the Evolution of Craniofacial Surgery

Craniofacial surgery (CFS) has a rich history of collaboration with a wide variety of surgical and nonsurgical specialties. This has resulted in a large volume of publications across this spectrum of subspecialties cataloging the advancements across the field. The authors aim to analyze the characteristics of the most cited articles in CFS. A literature search was performed using the Thomson/Reuters Web of Knowledge database to identify the top 50 most cited articles in CFS. The articles were analyzed for journal distribution, total citations, year of publication, citations per year, number of authors, type of article, institution, departmental affiliation, national affiliation, and top contributors. The articles were extracted from an assortment of 21 journals. The number of citations per article ranged from 115 to 1092 (average of 185). Forty-eight percent of articles were published in the 1990s, and 22% in the 2000s. The average number of years since publication until the present time was 21.34 (range 6-45 y). The most cited article (1092 citations and 52 citations/y) was an article by McCarthy et al on human mandible lengthening via gradual distraction. Departmental distribution indicated that the majority were attributable to departments of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for 21 articles (42%). Twenty articles were categorized under cranial defect/bone substitutes, 12 under craniosynostosis, 7 under surgical modeling, 6 under distraction osteogenesis, and the remaining 5 under other. These articles qualitatively represent important milestones in CFS. This study affirms the potential value of "number of citations" as a meaningful metric when assessing the importance of an article within CFS.

The 50 Most Cited Papers in Craniofacial Anomalies and Craniofacial Surgery

Background

Citation analysis is a recognized scientometric method of classifying cited articles according to the frequency of which they have been referenced. The total number of citations an article receives is considered to reflect it's significance among it's peers.

Methods

Until now, a bibliometric analysis has never been performed in the specialty of craniofacial anomalies and craniofacial surgery. This citation analysis generates an extensive list of the 50 most influential papers in this developing field. Journals specializing in craniofacial surgery, maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, neurosurgery, genetics and pediatrics were searched to demonstrate which articles have cultivated the specialty within the past 55 years.

Results

The results show an intriguing compilation of papers which outline the fundamental knowledge of craniofacial anomalies and the developments of surgical techniques to manage these patients.

Conclusions

This citation analysis provides a summation of the current most popular trends in craniofacial literature. These esteemed papers aid to direct our decision making today within this specialty.