Clinical efficacy and application advantages of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the new generation artificial ligaments:The consensus of Chinese specialists
Objective To develop a Chinese specialist consensus based on the latest evidences,aim-ing to provide objective and scientific guidance regarding the anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)recon-struction using the new-generation artificial ligaments(NGAL).Methods The consensus was found using the modified Delphi method,including two rounds of online expert consultation and one face-to-face meeting.The experts selected were thirty-one sports medicine specialists from the Chinese Society of Sports Medicine and the Chinese Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons,working on university teaching hospitals across 16 provinces and municipalities.On the average,they had 25 years of practice experi-ence,with 17 years in knee surgery and 13 years in ACL reconstruction.Among them,58.1%had performed over 100 ACL surgeries,and 90.3%had published at least one related paper.The draft came into being according to the latest evidence and was converted into a questionnaireusing the Sprague method.The second draft was compiled after two-round online surveys and discussed in a face-to-face meeting.Consensus items were discussed,modified,and voted on during the face-to-face meeting,with consensus reached when the agreement rate was no less than 85%.Results Twenty-six specialists completed the two rounds of questionnaire surveys and attended the face-to-face meeting.Consensus was reached on 5 items with an agreement rate of 100%,while 1 item did not achieve con-sensus with the agreement rate of 19.2%.Conclusion Compared to autografts and allografts,ACL recon-struction with NGAL can achieve faster rehabilitation and quicker recovery,as well as significantly bet-ter joint stability and early functional recovery in the short and mediumterm.After standardized rehabili-tation training,patients typically return to sport within 5 months postoperatively.Therefore,ACL recon-struction with NGAL lays foundation for faster postoperative recovery and is a valuable option for pa-tients seeking early return to sport.