Background:

Spine-related research continues to evolve rapidly and in the paradigm of increasing data, evidence-based practice becomes imperative. Citation-based rankings are thus critical in allowing clinicians to quickly ascertain the importance and value of a study. The purpose of this article is to report on the 10 most cited articles in the field of spine surgery over the last 10 years to provide an insight into the direction of research and clinical endeavors.

Methods:

Google Scholar was searched (1st April 2021) using an algorithm that sorts all cited spine surgery publications based on the number of citations per year. The top 10 most cited articles were identified. Information including journal, publication title, published year, subspecialty, and purpose of the study were compiled.

Results:

The top 10 publications ranged from 471 to 66 citations, with yearly citations ranging from 67 to 14. Eight articles directly related to lumbar fusion, 2 related to 3D Printing in spinal surgery, and one article on robotic surgery. There were 4 retrospective studies, 1 randomized controlled trial (RCT), and 2 systematic reviews. 3 of the papers related to decision making in surgery, 4 on outcomes of surgery, and 3 on innovations in surgery. The journal that appeared most frequently in the top 10 list was the Journal of Spine Surgery.

Discussion:

Novel surgical approaches or management strategies are almost always a manifestation of advancements in clinical and basic science research. Algorithm-based identification of highly cited articles provides an effective and prompt avenue for evidence-based medicine. Our ranking found a predominance of publications related to lumbar spinal fusion. Several articles in the top 10 provide an in-depth discussion on novel surgical techniques and technologies that define the current epoch of innovations in spine surgery.