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

Sohil S Desai; Chimere O Ezuma; Dany B El-Najjar; Mark Ren; John D Mueller; Charles A Popkin

doi:10.1016/j.asmr.2022.06.022

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

Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2022 Aug 20;4(5):e1747-e1757. doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2022.06.022. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Authors

Sohil S Desai¹, Chimere O Ezuma², Dany B El-Najjar², Mark Ren¹, John D Mueller¹, Charles A Popkin¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, U.S.A.
² Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Abstract

Purpose: To identify and analyze the 50 most-cited articles in patellar tendon injury research.

Methods: The ISI Web of Science and SCOPUS databases were used to conduct a search for articles pertaining to patellar tendon injury. For the top 50 most-cited articles, bibliometric data (title, first and senior author, citation count, journal, publication year, citation density, country of origin, Level of Evidence [LOE]) and topic of article were recorded.

Results: The mean number of citations was 172.0 ± 88.2 (range 101-546). There was a statistically significant correlation between publication year and citation density (r = 0.61, P < .01). The earliest article was the third most-cited article (362 citations), published by Blazina et al. in 1973, which discussed the epidemiology of patellar tendinopathy. The first and second most-cited articles (546 and 466 citations, respectively) covered surgical outcomes of patellar tendinopathy and prevalence of patellar tendinopathy among elite athletes. A total of 14 articles (28%) discussed nonoperative management, whereas only 5 articles discussed surgical management (10%). The most frequent LOE category was a LOE of IV (n = 18, 36%), but 19 studies (38%) were LOE I or LOE II.

Conclusions: Among the top 50 most-cited studies regarding patellar tendon injury, a relatively high number were of a high LOE (19 Level I or II, 38%), affirming that these articles in patellar tendon injury research are not only influential, but also of high-quality evidence.

Clinical relevance: This bibliometric analysis provides an efficient tool for educators, researchers, and evidence-based practitioners to identify and evaluate the most influential articles in patellar tendon injury research.