Clubfoot and the Ponseti Method: A Bibliometric Analysis

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to perform a bibliometric analysis of research articles published on clubfoot to provide a quantitative description of the literature and to gather information on the institutions, journals, researchers, and countries publishing on this topic. METHODS: This bibliometric analysis consisted of 2 Web of Science searches. The first identified all articles published prior to April 25, 2022, with “clubfoot” in the title, abstract, or keywords, and the second identified all articles with “Ponseti.” Studies were exported in BibTeX format and uploaded into Biblioshiny software in RStudio. Descriptive statistics are reported for variables related to the article, author, and country in which the research was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 2,177 articles identified using the term “clubfoot” were included. The first article was published in 1902, and there was a 3% annual growth rate. A total of 762 articles identified using the term “Ponseti” were included, with the first published in 1992 and a 13.9% annual growth rate. The Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics accounted for almost one-quarter of all published reports. CONCLUSIONS: The literature on clubfoot has expanded in the past decades, and the percentage of studies concerning the Ponseti method has increased dramatically in the years following adoption in the U.S. and, more recently, globally. While a number of studies involved collaboration between authors in high-income and low- and middle-income countries, further collaboration will be essential to evaluate outcomes and help improve service delivery as adoption of this method increases globally. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This paper explores how the orthopaedic and scientific communities have increasingly contributed to literature on Ponseti casting and clubfoot, and discusses how contributions to the literature are becoming increasingly widespread.