Injuries to the thoracolumbar junction: bibliometric analysis of English-language literature

Abstract

Objective. To analyze the 50 most cited articles related to the diagnosis, classification and surgical treatment of injuries of the thoracolumbar junction, which influenced the study of this problem. Material and Methods. The Web of Science database was searched for keywords to detect articles related to thoracolumbar junction surgery. Articles were selected taking into account the title, abstract and the used methods, and then evaluated by the total number of citations to identify the fifty most cited. Characteristics of publications were analyzed. Results. The United States of America, Thomas Jefferson University and A.R. Vaccaro were the most productive country, institution and author, respectively, dealing with the subject. The 2000s was the most active decade in terms of the number of publications. The greatest attention of scientists dealing with the problems of thoracolumbar injury was attracted by the article by McLain et al. analyzing the causes of the failures of short-segment transpedicular systems in the early postoperative period. The article by Laursen et al. presenting the results of using recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-7 in combination with metal fixation is at the top of the list in terms of average citation index. Most articles are well-designed randomized studies with the evidence level II. Conclusion. Citation analysis allowed to identify the most relevant articles, the authors of which have made a significant contribution to the problem of surgery of the thoracolumbar junction. Study of the information field through the prism of the most cited articles allows seeing the mainstream and future development of diagnostics, classification and treatment of the injuries of this localization.