Achilles Tendon Rupture – The Essentials: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

Category: Sports; Hindfoot Introduction/Purpose: Achilles tendon rupture and management are among the most prevalent topics in the Foot and Ankle Literature. As the scientific literature increases across all fields of medicine, so too does the literature regarding Achilles tendon rupture. A bibliometric analysis of the current literature will help guide Foot and Ankle surgeons and others interested in learning about or partaking in the treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the most- cited and influential research articles regarding Achilles tendon rupture. Methods: Using the Web of Science Database, with the search terms Achilles Tendon Rupture OR Achilles Tendon Tear OR Achilles Tendon Surgery OR Achilles Tendon Repair OR Achilles Tendon Reconstruction, over 1500 publications were identified. The search was then refined to include only original articles, which resulted in 1341 articles (Figure 1). Co-Authorship between authors was analyzed and using a readily available online citation manager software. The 50 most-cited articles were exported from Web of Science into Microsoft Excel for further analysis of publication year, journal, authors, and institution of publication. Results: The 1341 articles were published between 1948 and 2023, a plurality of which were published in 2021 and 2022 (117 and 113 articles, respectively). The top 50 most-cited articles were published between 1974 and 2017, and were cited an average of 170 times, ranging from 79 to 672 citations. RG Young et al.’s article Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Collagen Matrix for Achilles Tendon Repair was the most-cited article overall and in the past 10 years with 672 and 64 citations overall and since 2013, respectively. The American Journal of Sports Medicine was the most prolific publication, having published 10 of the top 50 most-cited articles. Leppilahti, J., Nilsson-Helander, K., and Silbernagel, K. were the most prolific primary authors, with 2 publications each. Conclusion: There is an immense amount of Achilles tendon rupture research available on the Web of Science. This can make it difficult for Foot and Ankle surgeons and other practitioners interested in the topic to navigate the relevant literature. Bibliometric analyses such as this one can help provide a road map of the most-significant literature available. This study identified and sought to describe the characteristics of the 50 most-influential articles regarding Achilles Tendon Rupture.