Shaping the Field: Characteristics and Trends of Annually Most-Cited Plastic Surgery Literature Across Fifteen Years and Eight Journals

Background . Published literature functions as a key avenue for disseminating innovations and advancements in plastic surgery. This study aims to assess characteristics and trends of annually-most cited plastic surgery literature from the past fifteen years for eight journals. Methods . Scopus database was used to identify ten most-cited articles for each year between 2010 and 2024 for each of eight prominent plastic surgery journals. Full-text articles were each reviewed by two authors and tagged for subspecialties, study designs, content themes, and clinical takeaways. Summary statistics were prepared using STATA 18.5, and graphs with linear regressions prepared using GraphPad 10.6.1. Results . 1,170 articles were included in this study. Reconstructive, breast, cancer/oncology, and aesthetic subspecialties were most represented, with increasing trends for education/research and gender affirming/transgender care. Retrospective cohort, prospective cohort, and cross-sectional studies represented the vast majority of study designs, with significant increases for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and a significant decrease for cell/tissue/animal studies. The majority of studies were a level of evidence of III. Novel/modified surgical approaches and technological advancements represented most themes, with significant increases for social determinants of health, health equity, and health policy. Clinical takeaways were most represented by risk factors/complications, functional/cosmetic outcomes, and diagnostic approaches/clinical decisionmaking, with increasing trends for surgical training. Conclusions . Our findings demonstrate a growing shift toward patient- and outcome-focused literature and evidence-based medicine in plastic surgery.