A Bibliometric Analysis of the 50 Most Commonly Cited Studies of the Direct Anterior Approach in Total Hip Arthroplasty

INTRODUCTION: The direct anterior approach (DAA) has garnered a lot of attention and surgical popularity for total hip arthroplasty in recent years. Some of the postulated advantages for the increase in popularity of this approach include better pain control and earlier recovery in the immediate postoperative period. The amount of literature available on this topic has rapidly increased over the last 10 years requiring the need for an updated guide to best navigate the topic. METHODS: The ISI Web of Knowledge database was used to search for research articles regarding the DAA surgical technique. The Boolean operative that yielded the largest search results was ([direct anterior approach hip] OR [anterior hip] OR [anterior hip arthroplasty] NOT [spine]). RESULTS: 92% of the highest cited articles on the DAA were published within the past two decades. One author, Keggi K, published 4 or more articles, with the highest citation average (110.5 citations). Recent articles were more strongly correlated with higher citation counts (R(2) = 0.21 v. 0.19). CONCLUSION: This review clearly outlines the increasing trend in the most influential publications regarding DAA being published in the past two decades. This review allows interested surgeons to understand the historic literature pertaining to this topic. This review can assist future researchers in identifying trends in UKA as well as help clinicians navigate this body of literature.