The Top 50 Most Cited Articles on the Medial Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL): A Bibliometric Analysis

To determine which original articles on the topic of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) have been cited the most in the literature utilizing a bibliometric approach. Secondarily, to determine temporal trends between article types.

Articles on the topic of the MPFL were identified by utilizing the Web of Science Database. The search yielded 1596 results and the top 50 cited original articles were collected for further analysis. The following information was gathered for all included articles: title, first author's name, journal name, year of publication, impact factor of the journal in 2021, total number of citations of the article, average citations per year (ACY), geographic origin, institutions, research theme, and keywords. Articles were then grouped into one of three categories: cadaveric/anatomic, clinical, and radiologic.

The total number of citations was 10,393. Most were published between the years 2000-2009 (66%) and in the journal, American Journal of Sports Medicine (34%). The mean ACY was 11.73 ± standard deviation 5.86 and the Kawasaki Municipal Hospital was the institution with the most articles included in the top 50 (n = 6, 12%). The top-cited articles focused on 3 themes: cadaveric/anatomic (n = 18, 36%), clinical (n = 25, 50%), and radiologic (n = 7, 14%). Cadaveric/anatomic articles had the highest average number of citations at 271.4 ± 153.9, followed by radiologic (173.3 ± 53.0) and clinical articles (171.8 ± 102.4). Over time, clinical articles were more likely to be included in the top 50 list, compared to cadaveric/anatomic/radiologic articles.

The most impactful MPFL articles relate to cadaveric/anatomic articles; however, over time, clinical articles became more prevalent.