The top 50 most cited articles on olecranon fractures: a bibliometric analysis.

PURPOSE

Citation analysis has been used to determine the impact of an article in a medical specialty. The purpose of this study was to identify the 50 most cited articles on olecranon fracture outcomes, indications, techniques, procedural descriptions, and complications and analyse their characteristics.

METHODS

The Web of Science database was used to search for publications related to olecranon fractures. The top 50 most cited articles that met the inclusion criteria were recorded and reviewed in terms of journal and year of publication, country of origin, type of study, and level of evidence.

RESULTS

The top 50 articles were cited a total of 2165 times and the year of publication ranged from 1957 to 2014. Of the 50 articles identified, 43 were case series correlating with a Level IV evidence designation. The top 50 articles were published in 20 different medical journals and originated from 18 different countries.

CONCLUSION

The majority of the articles analysed were uncontrolled case series that reported outcomes and complications surrounding the operative treatment of olecranon fractures. The top 50 most influential articles pertaining to olecranon fractures provides physicians and residency programs with a high-yield list of publications to reference on the topic.