| Purpose of the guideline: |
Knee cruciate ligament injury is one of the most prevalent sports injuries, often resulting in knee instability and weakness, and long-term susceptibility to meniscus injury and knee osteoarthritis. Graft reconstruction is widely acknowledged as the standard treatment both domestically and internationally. Since 2004, a novel type of artificial ligament, exemplified by French LARS, has been utilized in China due to its advantages of simplified surgery and reduced trauma as it eliminates the need for autograft tendon harvesting and fabricating. This approach is particularly suitable for military personnel, athletes, and high-demand professionals who require prompt return to sports activities without enduring prolonged rehabilitation associated with ligamentization of autologous or allogeneic grafts . However, there are discrepancies between applying artificial ligaments in this specific population versus ordinary patients; nevertheless, no consensus or guidelines exist nationally or globally. Therefore, to further standardize the treatment strategy of knee cruciate ligament injury reconstruction with artificial ligaments for this special population, the Lower Limb Sports Traumatology Group of Chinese Society of Sports Medicine and Sports Medicine Doctor Society of Chinese Medical Doctor Association initiated and formulated the 'Chinese expert consensus on artificial ligaments in knee cruciate ligament reconstruction in special populations', based on a comprehensive review of the latest evidence in the field. This consensus provides evidence-based recommendations for patient selection criteria, optimal surgical timing, preoperative preparations, material and design features of artificial ligament grafts, techniques for bone tunnel positioning and creation, procedures for artificial ligament implantation and tension testing, management of unique cases, postoperative rehabilitation programs, and return-to-sport assessments to establish standardized utilization of artificial ligament reconstruction for ACL injuries within these special populations. |
