A Bibliometric and Visualisation Analysis on the Research of Female Genital Plastic Surgery Based on the Web of Science Core Collection Database.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Due to the increasing demand for improving the morphology and function of the external genitalia amongst women, it is necessary to conduct statistical analysis of research data on female genital reconstruction. The current study aimed to use bibliometric analysis to analyse the research hotspots and trend frontiers of the female genital reconstructive research. METHODS: Publications on the female genital reconstructive research were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer 1.6.18 was used to establish visualisation maps and find top authors, institutions, countries, burst keywords, co-cited authors, journals, research hotspots, and trends. RESULTS: A total of 2207 studies published by 364 different journals authored by 7479 researchers were contained in this study. In the co-authorship analysis, the bulk of the retrieved studies was conducted by the USA, followed by England, Italy, and Netherlands, whilst the most productive institution, journal, and author were U.S. Univ Calif San Francisco, Journal of Sexual Medicine, and Bouman Mark-Bram, respectively. In the co-cited analysis, the top most-cited author and journal were Hage JJ and Journal of Sexual Medicine, respectively. The map of keywords occurrence revealed the most active research aspects were focussed on "vaginoplasty", "feminised genitoplasty", "laser treatment of vaginal atrophy", "transsexualism", and "labiaplasty". The time overlay mapping showed that the study of female genital plastic surgery focusses on the energetic treatment of genitourinary syndromes caused by transsexualism and menopause, especially by using management and treatment of vulvovaginal atrophy for the research trends, and through the vaginoplasty, feminising genioplasty, and laser treatments in the direction of treatments related to physical and mental problems. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: This novel inclusive bibliometric analysis can help research workers to quickly understand the potential and active researchers, landmark studies, and topics within their interests. We are willing to provide more beneficial data to contribute valuable research of female genital plastic surgery through this study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: The journal asks authors to assign a level of evidence to each article. For a complete description of Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, see the Table of Contents or the online Instructions for Authors at www.springer.com/00266 .

Autoamputation of the appendix and survival of the amputated part: a rare case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Autoamputation of the appendix, i.e., complete separation of a part of the appendix without any surgical intervention, has been rarely documented in the literature in recent years. Herein, we report a case where the amputated part of the appendix was viable after autoamputation and reviewed the related literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital complaining of abdominal pain and subsequently underwent an emergency laparoscopic appendectomy (LA). Intraoperatively, we found an abnormally short appendix protruding from the cecum and a strip-like tissue attached to the mesoappendix, considered a duplex appendix, was resected. Finally, in conjunction with the histopathology findings and the past medical history, the patient was diagnosed with "Pseudo-duplication of the Appendix". CONCLUSIONS: Autoamputation of the appendix resulting in preserved tissue viability and absence of necrosis at both ends, can be termed as "Pseudo-duplication of the Appendix". This condition is very rare in clinical practice and has not been reported in China, to the best of our knowledge. It has been established that the autoamputated appendix can produce chronic inflammation, intestinal fistulae and even cancer, affecting the patient's quality of life. Accordingly, a clear diagnosis and timely management are essential. In this report, we established a novel classification for "Pseudo-duplication of the Appendix", hoping that our report will help surgeons better understand this anatomical anomaly of the appendix, to help during the differential diagnosis process and avoid confusion.