Top 50 most impactful publications on massive rotator cuff tears

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Massive rotator cuff tears (mRCTs) represent a significant clinical challenge.
• Despite their prevalence, mRCTs constitute a small fraction of overall rotator cuff research.
• Bibliometric analysis offers a method to assess scholarly impact and identify research trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of the 50 most cited articles on massive rotator cuff tears.
• To evaluate the treatment and outcomes of massive rotator cuff tears through citation impact.
• To identify research gaps and inform future studies in mRCT management.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing the Scopus database.
• Identification of articles on "massive rotator cuff tear" published up to December 2022.
• Calculation of Citation Index (CI) and selection of top 50 articles based on CI.

Main Results:

• The top 50 articles were analyzed, with a focus on publication year, journal, and study type.
• Clinical studies, particularly case series, predominated (88%).
• Arthroscopy, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, and American Journal of Sports Medicine were leading journals.

Conclusions:

• Research on mRCTs is disproportionately small compared to their clinical prevalence.
• The analysis highlights understudied areas within mRCT research.
• Findings can guide researchers in addressing knowledge gaps and improving future mRCT treatment strategies.