The interpretation of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons "management of anterior cruciate ligament injuries evidence-based clinical practice guideline (2022)" / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common sports injury, which can lead to the knee unstable, make it difficult for the patient to return to sports, and cause post-traumatic osteoarthritis. The difficulty of its clinical diagnosis and treatment has always been the focus of sports medicine research. In August 2022, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons updated and published "evidence-based clinical practice guideline on management of ACL injuries (2022 version)" based on the "evidence-based clinical practice guideline on management of ACL injuries (2014 version)". In the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ACL injuries, the new guideline offers 8 recommendations and 7 options according to different evidence strength. To assist clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of ACL injuries, this article provides an interpretation of the new guideline. In comparison to the 2014 version, the new guideline does not recommend allografts any more, shortens the time for reconstruction after ACL injury from 5 months to 3 months, adds advice that ACL reconstruction can be combined with anterolateral ligament reconstruction or lateral extra-articular tenodesis, and does not recommend ACL repair. The new guideline also shares many similarities with the domestic "clinical evidence-based guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injury (2022 version)", both of which advocate history and physical examination at diagnosis, early reconstruction, the use of autologous bone-patellar tendon-bone or hamstring tendon, and either single-bundle or double-bundle ACL reconstruction. The new ACL guidelines of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons lack specific recommendations on artificial ligaments, techniques for bone tunnel creation, and rehabilitation programs, all of which are of concern to domestic physicians because they are based on evidence-based research from abroad. Therefore, in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of ACL injuries in China, clinicians should not only follow the new ACL guidelines of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, but also combine the characteristics of Chinese patients, clinical practice, and pertinent domestic guidelines when diagnosing and treating ACL injuries.