The Top 50 Most-Cited Papers in the Diagnosis and Management of SLAP Tears

PURPOSE: To identify and characterize the top 50 most-cited articles regarding SLAP tears. METHODS: Referencing the methodology of previous citation analyses, varying Boolean searches were performed using the Web of Science database and the search terms yielding the greatest number of results was used. The top 50 most-cited articles were identified and the following data points were gathered from each article: author, institution, country of origin, year of publication, publishing journal, level of evidence, and citation density. RESULTS: The total number of citations was 7834, with a median of 106 citations. The top 50 list was largely composed of diagnostic level I, II, and III studies (5, 7, and 8 total publications, respectively) and therapeutic level III (6 publications) or level IV (10 publications). Most articles originated from the United States (40). In total, 19 of the top 50 most-cited articles were published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, followed by Arthroscopy (15) and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (5). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis demonstrated a correlation with earlier publications being cited more frequently than recent studies. Importantly, the current study found that therapeutic studies in the most cited list were largely level III or level IV evidence. This makes the management of SLAP tears seem anecdotal, with little in the way of high-impact level I or level II therapeutic studies. We must reconsider our current understanding of SLAP tears and their management with more studies that demonstrate a clearer treatment algorithm for these common injuries of the shoulder. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Given the complexity of SLAP tears, this list of the most-cited articles can provide a reference point to better guide practice, resident education, and future areas of orthopaedic research.