Objective: To explore the operative techniques and preliminary clinical effect of arthroscopic reconstruction of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) using ligament advanced reinforcement system (LARS).
Methods: From June 2006 to July 2007, 9 patients with PCL rupture were treated with LARS under arthroscopic observation. There were 8 males and 1 female, aged 23-49 years old. The left knee was involved in 3 cases and the right knee in 6 cases. The main causes of injuries were sports in 5 cases, falling in 1 case and traffic accident in 3 cases. The time from injury to reconstruction was 6-20 days (13.6 days on average). There were 2 cases with associated medial meniscus injury and 1 with lateral meniscus injury. X-ray films showed no avulsion fracture of tibial plateau was found. The preoperative Lysholm score was 40-55 (50 on average). According to the preoperative international knee documentation committee (IKDC) grading, 1 case was graded as C and 8 as D. The Lachman test showed that there was 1 case (+), 6 cases (++) and 2 cases (+++). The operation was performed under arthroscopic observation. The tibial isometric point and tunnel were drilled with the help of a drill bit guide, while the femoral isometric point and tunnel were drilled under the C-arm X-ray machine. The diameter of the bone tunnels was 6 mm, while the diameters of LARS artificial ligaments and cannulated interference screws were 7 mm.
Results: All the patients were regularly followed up for 8-16 months (10.5 months on average). The postoperative Lysholm score was 70-95 (85 on average). There were 5 cases of excellent, 3 of good and 1 of fair, with the choiceness rate of 88%. The postoperative IKDC grading showed that 7 cases were graded as A and 2 as B. The Lachman test showed that no case was positive. Complications such as infection, spontaneous rupture or laxity of graft were not observed.
Conclusion: PCL arthroscopic reconstruction with the use of LARS artificial ligaments leads to a good anatomic reconstruction and knee function with minor injury, rapid recovery and satisfactory clinical effect.