Research in Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak (Rhinorrhea and Otorrhea): A Bibliometric Analysis From 1945 to 2018

Objective In this study, we aimed to analyze research activity on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks in general and CSF rhinorrhea and otorrhea in particular and to identify the main topic clusters in these areas. Methods We identified all relevant documents, using the medical subject heading (MeSH) term “Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak”, that are indexed in the MEDLINE database between 1945 and 2018. We performed a descriptive bibliometric analysis and analyses of networks and research clusters in order to identify the main topic areas of research. Results From 1945 to 2018, a total of 4,130 records were published with the term CSF leak, including 2,821 documents (68.1%) with the term CSF rhinorrhea and 1,040 documents (25.8%) with CSF otorrhea. The number of documents published increased from 10 in 1945-49 to 642 in 2010-14. Articles represented the dominant document type (86.8% of the documents analyzed), while case reports were the main type of study (37.4%). In terms of geographical distribution, researchers from the USA led in the number of signatures (39.1%), followed by those from the UK (7.5%). The most active areas of research in the field were “Postoperative Complications,” “Tomography, X-Ray Computed,” and “Magnetic Resonance Imaging.” The terms “Adults,” “Young Adult,” and “Middle-Aged” were most common in CSF rhinorrhea research; and the terms “Infant,” “Child, Preschool,” “Child,” and “Adolescent” were more common in CSF otorrhea. Conclusions Based on our findings, articles and case reports related to “Surgery” and “Postoperative Complications” associated with the diagnosis are the main topics of study, highlighting the importance of this document type in advancing knowledge in the field.