Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Impaired hamstring muscle strength, anterior patellar pain, high incidence of osteoarthritis, and loss of proprioception after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction lead to poor functional recovery due to a higher incidence of osteoarthritis and loss of proprioception. Arthroscopic repair of the anterior cruciate ligament combined with dynamic or static internal brace repair preserves the original ligament structure and results in favorable short-term outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: To prospectively observe the efficacy and imaging findings of modified double-bundle arthroscopic repair of the anterior cruciate ligament after Sherman type I injury.
METHODS: From January 2020 to September 2022, a total of 60 patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury admitted at the Department of Sports Medicine, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were included and divided into two groups (n=30 per group) according to the treatment protocols. The functional repair group was treated with double bundle repair combined with internal brace fixation, and the reconstruction group was treated with single bundle anatomical reconstruction of autologous hamstring muscle. All cases were followed up for 12 months after surgery, and International Knee Documentation Committee score, Lysholm score and KT-1000 difference between the affected and healthy sides of the two groups were evaluated at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Three months after surgery, International Knee Documentation Committee scores, Lysholm scores and KT-1000 difference between the affected and healthy sides were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.05), and the functional repair group was better than the reconstruction group. At 6 and 12 months after surgery, there was no significant difference in International Knee Documentation Committee score, Lysholm score and KT-1000 difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). To conclude, anterior cruciate ligament repair preserves the original ligament structure, avoids drilling larger marrow tracts and removing autologous tendons for reconstruction, reduces the damage to the original normal structure, and has fewer complications. Early postoperative efficacy is better than that of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with stumps, but there is no significant difference in the efficacy of the two groups 6 months after surgery.

Key words: anterior cruciate ligament, ligament repair, ligament reconstruction, Hamstring muscle, internal brace