Microsurgery: The Top 50 Classic Papers in Plastic Surgery: A Citation Analysis

BACKGROUND: The number of citations that a published article has received reflects the importance of the paper in the particular area of practice. In microsurgery, thus far, which journal articles are cited most frequently is unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the characteristics of the top 50 papers in the field of microsurgery in the plastic surgery literature. METHODS: The 50 most cited papers published in high impact plastic surgery and microsurgery journals were identified. The articles were ranked in the order of the number of citations received. These 50 classic papers were analyzed for article type, journal distribution, and geographic and institutional origin. RESULTS: Six international journals contributed to the top 50 papers in microsurgery. The most cited paper reported on the early use of the vascularized bone graft and was cited 116 times. The top 50 papers originated from just 10 countries with the United States producing the most. The Preston and Northcote Community Hospital, Melbourne published 5 papers and this was the most productive institution in the top 50. CONCLUSIONS: These papers represent many important milestones in the relatively short history of microsurgery. Furthermore, our citation analysis provides useful information to budding authors as to what makes a paper attain a "classic" status.

Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Dislocations and Treatment: An Evolutionary Process

BACKGROUND: Proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) dislocations represent a significant proportion of hand clinic visits and typically require frequent follow-ups for clinical assessment, orthotic adjustments, and physiotherapy. There are a large number of treatment options available for PIPJ dislocations, yet no prospective or controlled studies have been carried out, largely due to the diversity of the various types of injuries. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all the PIPJ dislocations in our institution over a five-year period and directly compared the different splinting techniques that we have used over this time frame. RESULTS: There were a total of 77 dislocations of the PIPJ (57 men and 20 women) that were included in our study. We found that our management has shifted gradually from complete immobilisation to controlled early mobilisation with figure-of-eight splints. Following treatment, the range of motion of the PIPJ in the figure-of-eight group was significantly greater than that in the other three methods (P<0.05) used. There were significantly fewer hospital visits in the figure-of-eight splint group than in the other treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of PIPJ dislocations has undergone a significant evolution in our experience. Early controlled mobilisation has become increasingly important, and therefore, splints have had to be adapted to allow for this. The figure-of-eight splint has yielded excellent results in our experience. It should be considered for all PIPJ dislocations, but careful patient selection is required to achieve optimum results.