The Fifty Most-Cited Articles Regarding SLAP Lesions

Abstract

Purpose To identify and evaluate the top 50 most-cited articles pertaining to SLAP tears. Methods The ISI Web of Knowledge database was used to conduct a query for articles pertaining to SLAP tears. Our query was conducted in April 2020 with multiple Boolean operative combinations performed by 2 independent reviewers. Articles on the final list were further reviewed to extract the following data: manuscript title, first author, total citation count, year of publication, citation density since publication, current citation rate since 2013, journal, country of origin, and level of evidence. Results Our initial search yielded 2,597 articles. Within this cohort, the top 50 publications pertaining to SLAP tears were identified that met our search criteria. The top article was cited 802 times while the 50th ranked article was cited 46 times. The average number of citations per publication was 131, whereas the average citation density since year of publication was 7.3. No strong correlations were found between citation density and year published. Twelve journals published articles pertaining to SLAP tears, with Arthroscopy accounting for the greatest number (15 articles, 30%). Most articles were graded with a level of evidence (LOE) of IV (n = 24, 48%), followed by review articles without LOE (n = 8, 16%). Only 2 articles achieved an LOE of I (4%). Articles typically addressed the arthroscopic management (n = 11, 22%), whereas anatomy/classification (n =10, 20%), and outcomes (n = 9, 18%) also were reported. Conclusions This review provides a quantitative analysis of the most-referenced literature pertaining to SLAP tears. This body of knowledge helps surgeons search for literature regarding these injuries and identify trends regarding SLAP tear research. Clinical Relevance This research provides practitioners with an easily accessible and comprehensive collection of the major contributions regarding SLAP tears and offers insight into future areas for research.

Patellar Tendon Injury: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Most-Cited Articles Demonstrates Relatively High Overall Level of Evidence

“…This is a far greater proportion of high LOE studies than identified for other orthopedic fields of study. 13 , 15 This serves as relative affirmation that these articles in patellar tendon injury research are not just influential but also of high-quality evidence. Of the 10 studies with LOE I, 8 of them focused on nonoperative management and covered therapies such as platelet-rich plasma and corticosteroid injections, once again demonstrating the importance clinicians and researchers in this field have placed on evaluating nonoperative therapies.…”

“…Previous bibliometric analyses have demonstrated in many cases that the most-cited articles are not always of the LOE, and have identified specific areas where further impactful research would benefit different fields of medicine. 13 …”

“…Bibliometric analyses have been performed in many orthopaedic fields of study within the sports medicine, 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 arthroplasty, 20 spine, 21 , 22 hand, 23 trauma, 24 and foot and ankle 25 subspecialties. In many of these analyses, the majority of the most-cited articles have been of lower LOE (i.e., level III and level IV LOE 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ).…”

Musculoskeletal Injury in American Football: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Most Cited Articles

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“…These analyses have been frequently utilized in recent years to allow identification and evaluation of the most influential articles within a field of study, based on total citations and citation density (ie, citations per year since publication). 1 , 2 , 8 , 17 , 21 , 57 , 69 Among the many benefits of such analyses is the ability for educators to facilitate creation of efficient reading programs for residents and fellows to cover the most influential articles in a field of study. Second, these data are useful for researchers to ensure that they are abreast of the most influential articles and to identify key evidence before designing their research questions.…”