Uncovering research trends in hip hemiarthroplasty: a citation and publication analysis

Background Hip hemiarthroplasty is the most common surgical treatment for intracapsular neck of femur fractures. This study aimed to analyse the most cited articles in this area to uncover any research trends and common characteristics shared between these studies.

Methods Two independent reviewers conducted a systematic search using Web of Science to identify articles primarily focused on hip hemiarthroplasty. For the top 50 most cited studies, various characteristics were analysed and recorded, including citation count, country of origin, journal and institution of publication, impact factor, authorship, level of evidence, patient demographics, and study type.

Results The research output on hip hemiarthroplasty is growing, with 44 % of the included studies classified as Level I evidence. Additionally, 24 % of these studies focused on comparing outcomes between a cementless and cemented procedure. 71.6 % of patients included were female. Citation counts varied widely, ranging from 38 to 300. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research was the most productive journal contributing 22 % of the included studies, while the USA led in research output, accounting for 16 % of the top-cited studies. The author Ponzer et al. had the most contributions (6 studies), and the Karolinska institution, University of Bergen and Haukeland University hospital had the greatest representation with 5 studies each.

Conclusion The most cited studies within the hip hemiarthroplasty literature is of high scientific quality, with a large proportion of studies representing Level I evidence and focusing on the use of cementless or cemented stems. The majority of the most cited studies are published within a limited number of journals with a significant proportion of patients being female.