Article Text
Abstract
Introduction Endovascular interventions for intracranial aneurysms have evolved substantially over the past several decades. A citation rank list is used to measure the scientific and/or clinical impact of an article. Our objective was to identify and analyze the characteristics of the 100 most cited articles in the field of endovascular therapy for intracranial aneurysms.
Methods We performed a retrospective bibliometric analysis between July and August 2017. Articles were searched on the Science Citation Index Expanded database using Web of Science in order to identify the most cited articles in the endovascular therapy of intracranial aneurysms since 1945. Using selected key terms (‘intracranial aneurysm’, ‘aneurysm’, ‘aneurysmal subarachnoid’, ‘endovascular’, ‘coiling’, ‘stent-assisted’, ‘balloon-assisted’, ‘flow-diversion’) yielded a total of 16 314 articles. The top 100 articles were identified and analyzed to extract relevant information, including citation count, authorship, article type, subject matter, institution, country of origin, and year of publication.
Results Citations for the top 100 articles ranged from 133 to 1832. All articles were cited an average of 27 times per year. There were 45 prospective studies, including 7 level–II randomized controlled trials. Most articles were published in the 2000s (n=53), and the majority constituted level III or level IV evidence. Half of the top 100 articles arose from the USA.
Conclusion This study provides a comprehensive overview of the most cited articles in the endovascular management of intracranial aneurysms. It recognizes the contributions made by key authors and institutions, providing an important framework to an enhanced understanding of the evidence behind the endovascular treatment of aneurysms.
- Intracranial aneurysm
- endovascular
- coiling
- subarachnoid haemorrhage
- flow diversion
- stent-assisted
- balloon-assisted
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Footnotes
Contributors JM performed the literature search, preliminary article analysis, and drafted and revised the paper. KP performed the literature search and preliminary article analysis. YR performed the literature search and preliminary article analysis. HKK monitored data collection and revised the draft paper. VT revised the draft paper. JAH revised the draft paper. MJL was involved in concept design and revised the draft paper. RVC revised the draft paper. DMB revised the draft paper. HA oversaw the project, concept design, and article analysis, monitored the data collection, and revised the draft paper. All authors contributed substantially to the final article.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.