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Bibliometric Analysis of the Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass Literature
Vamsi P Reddy1, Rohin Singh1, Marissa D McLelland1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Insights
Bibliometric analysis identified the top 50 most-cited publications on extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery. These landmark studies offer foundational insights into EC-IC bypass for complex cerebrovascular disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Bibliometrics
Background:
- Extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery is crucial for managing complex cerebrovascular disorders, particularly aneurysms untreatable by standard clipping.
- A significant body of literature exists on EC-IC bypass, but its impact and foundational works require systematic evaluation.
- Bibliometric analysis offers a robust method to assess the influence and identify seminal contributions within scientific literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and analyze the 50 most impactful publications on EC-IC bypass surgery using bibliometric methods.
- To highlight landmark studies that form the basis of understanding EC-IC bypass for treating complex cerebrovascular conditions.
- To provide a curated list of highly cited works for researchers and clinicians in the field.
Main Methods:
- A bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Web of Science database.
- Publications related to EC-IC bypass were systematically searched and filtered based on inclusion criteria.
- The top 50 most-cited articles were selected to represent the most impactful research in the field.
Main Results:
- The analysis identified 50 highly cited publications on EC-IC bypass from an initial pool of 125.
- These top publications garnered a mean of 117.06 citations, ranging from 35 to 1437.
- Case reports/series (30%), editorials (16%), and randomized controlled trials (14%) were prominent publication types among the most cited.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully identified the most influential publications in EC-IC bypass surgery through citation analysis.
- These selected articles provide essential knowledge for understanding the procedural nuances and clinical applications of EC-IC bypass.
- This bibliometric review serves as a valuable resource for navigating the foundational literature on EC-IC bypass for complex cerebrovascular disorders.
Objective:
Extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass is a procedure in which a blood vessel outside the skull is connected to one inside the skull to improve cerebral blood flow. Certain aneurysms cannot be treated through standard clipping, and EC-IC bypass may be recommended in such cases. A vast body of literature exists on the use of EC-IC bypass as a treatment for cerebrovascular disorders. While beneficial to surgeons, these publications may not reach all the intended audience, which encourages the use of bibliometric analyses. Although a fraction of historically meaningful publications may not have been sufficiently valued through citation count, bibliometric analysis is the gold standard for assessing the impact of a publication.
Methods:
Using bibliometric analysis, we queried the Web of Science database to identify the 50 most impactful publications on EC-IC bypass based on citation count.
Results:
The literature search retrieved 125 publications that met inclusion criteria, from which the top 50 most-cited ones were selected. The mean number of citations for each article was 117.06 (range 35-1437). Case reports and series constituted 15 (30%) of the top 50 publications on EC-IC bypass, followed by 8 (16%) editorials and 7 (14%) randomized controlled trials. A total of 265 authors in 10 countries contributed to the 50 manuscripts, which were published in 15 different journals.
Conclusions:
We retrieved the top 50 most-cited articles on EC-IC bypass surgery and identified the landmark publications to provide a foundational understanding of the procedure as a treatment for complex disorders.
