Aim. To investigate the scope and trends in clinical research inSouth African thoracic surgery between 1955 and 2006 and tomeasure its impact on clinical practice.Method. A systematic review of all SA thoracic surgicalpublications was performed.Results. There were 252 general thoracic publications and amarked decrease in publications was noted after the peakperiod of productivity of the 1980s. There was a shift towardthe private sector as an origin of articles and toward a local,non-indexed journal. Inflammatory lung disease was themost frequent topic of publication. Case series and casereports were the most frequent type of article.Conclusion. The vulnerability of a small specialty in adeveloping country is illustrated by the clear trends thatemerged. The study provides important indicators for futureresearch, highlights the need for a national database of clinicalexperience, and emphasises the importance of rekindlinginterest and a culture of research in thoracic surgery
