Marked Growth in Volume and Quality of Knee Arthroplasty Research in KSSTA

Overview

Over the past 15 years, KSSTA has seen a significant increase in both the quantity and quality of knee arthroplasty research. This includes a rise in the number of publications, improvements in study design, and evolving research topics reflecting advances in surgical techniques and outcomes.

Background

Knee arthroplasty is a widely used treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis, yet about 20% of patients remain dissatisfied with their outcomes. As the number of procedures grows globally, there is a critical need for high-quality, evidence-based research to refine surgical techniques and improve patient results. KSSTA, a high-impact orthopaedic journal, has increasingly published knee arthroplasty studies, providing a valuable resource to analyze trends in research topics, study designs, authorship, and evidence levels over time.

Data Highlights

Overall, 1597 articles related to knee arthroplasty were identified from 2006 to 2020, representing 25% of all 6289 KSSTA articles published in this period. After excluding 309 unrelated articles, 1288 relevant articles were analyzed.

Key Findings

• Knee arthroplasty articles accounted for a quarter of all KSSTA publications between 2006 and 2020.
• There was a significant increase in the level of evidence and number of cases included in studies over time.
• Research topics shifted, with growing focus on innovative areas such as robotics, navigation, implant design, and patient-specific instrumentation.
• Authorship analysis revealed gender disparities, with female first authorship increasing in orthopaedics generally but less so in knee arthroplasty research.
• Publication characteristics such as number of authors, citations, and references were systematically evaluated to assess research quality and trends.
• Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) like KSS, OKS, WOMAC, and others were documented to evaluate clinical outcomes reported in studies.

Clinical Implications

The marked growth in high-quality knee arthroplasty research supports evidence-based improvements in surgical techniques and patient care. Awareness of trending research topics can guide clinicians and researchers to focus on emerging technologies and outcomes assessment. Additionally, recognizing authorship disparities may encourage initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in orthopaedic research.

Conclusion

KSSTA has demonstrated substantial growth in both the volume and quality of knee arthroplasty research over the last 15 years, reflecting evolving clinical interests and methodological rigor. This trend underscores the journal's role in advancing evidence-based knee surgery.

References

1. KSSTA Journal Impact Factor 2019
2. Orthopaedic Literature Authorship Trends [3,4,7,12]
3. Level of Evidence in Knee Arthroplasty Research [8]
4. Gender Disparity in Orthopaedic Research [19]