Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Lateral Extra-Articular Augmentation: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Top 100 Cited Articles

There has been significant exploration into anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with lateral extra-articular augmentation, with a marked increase in research output over the past 10 years. This study aims to conduct a thorough bibliometric analysis of the most influential publications on ACL reconstruction combined with lateral extra-articular augmentation. This research is a cross-sectional study, classified as level 4 evidence. In July 2024, a thorough search was conducted utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection and Google Scholar databases to identify studies related to ACL reconstruction with lateral extra-articular augmentation. The 100 most cited articles that met the established inclusion criteria were carefully selected and subjected to an in-depth bibliometric analysis. The top 100 cited articles were published between 1976 and 2020, with a notable concentration during the 2010s. Citation counts for these articles ranged from 125 to 1,000, with citation density varying between 3.32 and 113.00. The United States led in both the number of publications and citations, followed by France and Italy. The majority of the studies focused on anatomical and biomechanical topics, with a growing presence of high-level evidence studies, including 15 classified as levels 1 or 2 evidence. The period from 2010 to 2020 witnessed a significant surge in the publication of the top 100 most cited articles, highlighting their scientific relevance in specialized areas. The diversity of study types, predominantly anatomical and biomechanical, reflects the substantial interest in this field, coupled with an increase in high-evidence-level research, with 15 articles classified as levels 1 or 2. The United States stands out, contributing 31% of these articles, with notable input from France and Italy. This review provides valuable insights into global research trends and outlines potential directions for future research.