Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Over the Past 40 Years: a Global Analysis and Review of the Most Highly Cited Articles

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to use citation analysis to identify the top 100 papers in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and report the qualities and characteristics of the most influential articles in UKA research.Methods: UKA–related articles published from 1950 to June 2020 were identified using multiple databases. The 100 most cited articles were selected for further analysis of citation count, citation density, current citation rate, authorship, theme, geographic distribution, level of evidence, and network analysis.Results: The top 100 articles' publication dates ranged from 1980 to 2015, with the largest number in the 2000s. Total citations per article ranged from 65 to 473. The USA was the most productive country, but England led the race in terms of citations. The Bone & Joint Journal was the most prolific journal with 25 articles. Price AJ was the most productive first author and corresponding author. The most popular study theme was therapeutic research, followed by prognostic research. The most common level of evidence was level IV. The network analysis connoted that follow-up study had the highest degree of centrality.Conclusions: The study of UKA is steadily evolving. It could be predicted that there will be an increasing number of publications on UKA research in the following years according to the current global trends, the United States and England will likely maintain leadership in this area. Meanwhile, further prospective studies are required to better recognize the prognosis of UKA procedures.