The top 100 most cited articles on total hip arthroplasty: a bibliometric analysis

Background: Over the past few decades, more and more articles about total hip arthroplasty have been published. We noticed, however, little is known about the characteristics and qualities of these studies. Methods: The databases of Web of Science Core Collection, BIOSIS Citation Index, MEDLINE, etc. were utilized for the identification of articles published from 1990 to May 2019. Total hip arthroplasty-related articles were identified, and the 100 most cited articles were selected for subsequent analysis of citation count, citation density (citations/ article age), authorship, theme, geographic distribution, time-related flux, level of evidence, and network analysis. Results: The selected 100 articles were published mainly in the 1990s (46%) and 2000s (47%) with almost equal amount. Citations per article ranged from 994 to 191. Leading countries were the USA followed by Canada, England, and Sweden, all located in North America and Western Europe. The most highlighted study themes were postoperative thrombosis and surgical methods and materials. The most common level of evidence was level III (35%). The network analysis connoted that radiography, acetabulum, reoperation, and bone cement had a high degree of centrality in the 1990s, while cement had a high degree of centrality in the 2000s and 2010s. Conclusions: The time, area, and theme distribution of the top 100 most cited articles in the total hip arthroplasty have been thoroughly analyzed. It is noticeable that postoperative thromboembolism currently plays a major role in the field of total hip arthroplasty researches. However, most of them focus on the effectiveness of different treatments and drugs; little is known about its underlying mechanisms and influencing factors.