Scaphoid fractures: A bibliometric analysis of the most influential papers.

Scaphoid fractures are commonly seen following a fall on an outstretched hand and often missed on initial presentation. An untreated scaphoid fracture may result in avascular necrosis of the scaphoid due to its retrograde blood supply. Published articles guide our investigation and management of these injuries. A citation analysis was performed on the top 30 articles relating to scaphoid fractures ranked by citation number. The 30 articles have been cited a total of 4595 times originating from 9 different countries. The leading article was cited 443 times with an average of 12.66 citations/year. Although this may not directly correlate with study quality, it does provide an insight to the influence which a paper has had on the scientific community. This list may prove invaluable to clinicians involved in the treatment of patients with scaphoid fractures and those actively furthering the development of the field.