ReviewJPRAS open2026
The 50 most-cited publications in lymphatic surgery: A bibliometric analysis.
Review in JPRAS open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Lymphatic surgery has evolved from palliative debulking procedures to physiologic reconstruction using microsurgical and supermicrosurgical techniques. Despite this progress, the publications that have most influenced this evolution have not been systematically examined. This study aimed to analyze the 50 most-cited publications in lymphatic surgery, assessing their bibliometric characteristics, study designs, levels of evidence, and thematic contributions to lymphedema surgical management. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for articles on surgical treatment of lymphedema from inception to November 7, 2025. The 50 most-cited articles were identified and analyzed for citation count, citation density (citations per year), authorship, geographic origin, journal distribution, and keyword frequency. Studies were categorized by design and evaluated according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine levels of evidence. Concise summaries were generated to facilitate access to key findings. Results: Published between 2004 and 2023, the top 50 articles accumulated 4612 citations (mean 92.2, median 75.5). Citation density ranged from 3.9 to 32.5 citations per year. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery was the most represented journal ( Conclusions: This bibliometric analysis highlights seminal publications underlying the development of supermicrosurgical techniques such as lymphaticovenous anastomosis and vascularized lymph node transfer. The results demonstrate a strong Eastern contribution to innovation. While observational studies predominate, the near-total absence of Level 1 evidence and the presence of only two Level 2 trials underscore the need for well-designed prospective comparative studies to establish standardized treatment algorithms. Level of evidence: IV.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.