ABSTRACT
Objective Clinically, the anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL) can be reconstructed by either ligament advanced reinforcement system ( LARS) artificial ligament or hamstring tendon autograft ( HTAG) . This study aims to compare the early clinical outcomes of LARS versus HTAG in the treatment of ACL. Methods This study included 38 cases of ACL injury treated in our de-partment from March 2012 to August 2014, 18 by LARS artificial ligament and the other 20 by HTAG. Before and at 18 months after surgery, we evaluated the clinical outcomes of the tow strategies using the Lysholm knee scoring scale and International Knee Documen-tation Committee ( IKDC) scoring systems, and conducted statistical analysis on the follow-up findings. Results Statistically signifi-cant differences were not observed preoperatively between the LARS and HTAG groups either in the Lyshrolm scores (46.78±1.52 vs 46.80 ±1.89, P>0.05) or in the IKDC scores (42.83±1.47 vs 42.20±1.61, P>0.05), nor at 18 months postoperatively in the Lyshrolm scores (93.52±3.19 vs 94.10±1.37, P>0.05) or the IKDC scores (92.11± 1.45 vs 93.15±1.76, P>0.05). However, both the LARS and HTAG groups showed significant differences in the Lyshrolm and IKDC scores at the baseline as compared with those at 18 months after oper-ation ( P<0.05) . Conclusion Both LARS artificial ligament ham-string tendon autograft can achieve good early clinical outcomes in ACL reconstruction.