Arthroscopic one-stage reconstruction of anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments with LARS artificial ligaments

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of arthroscopic one-stage reconstruction of anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments with LARS artificial ligaments. Methods From October 2009 to December 2011, 8 patients with combined injury to anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments received arthroscopic one-stage reconstruction with LARS artificial ligaments. They were 7 men and one woman, aged from 26 to 52 years (average, 35.3 years). The time from injury to operation ranged from 17 to 21 days, averaging 19 days. Pre-operative and intraoperative inspections showed complete tear of both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scoring was used at 6 months postoperation to grade the knee movement of the patients; Lysholm scoring was used at final follow-ups to evaluate the knee function. Results The operating time for this series ranged from 85 to 102 minutes (average, 93 minutes). All the patients were followed up for 6 to 24 months (average, 12 months). Wound infection at upper tibia occurred in one patient, which responded to debridement and screwing 4 weeks after operation. All the patients got rid of instability of the knee joint, and gained normal knee extension and fine functional recovery. At final follow-ups, the range of motion of the knee ranged from 100° to 125° (average, 108.4°). Follow-ups revealed no breakage or loosening of the ligaments. By the IKDC scoring, of the 8 patients who had been graded all as D before opera-tion, one was improved into A and 7 into B. The Lysholm scores at final follow-ups averaged 86.1+4.8, sig-nificantly higher than the postoperative value(18.7+3.1) (P< 0.05). Conclusion Arthroscopic one-stage reconstruction of anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments with LARS artificial ligaments can restore the stability of knee joint and obtain satisfactory short-term results. Key words: Anterior cruciate ligament; Posterior cruciate ligament; Arthroscopy; Artificial ligament