LARS Ligament

The disappearance of certain articular ligaments causes important functional problems especially in terms of  stability of the joint. Articular mechanics is disturbed, resulting in the destruction of articular surfaces more or less over the long term meaning to say in an osteoarthritis ailment leading to arthoplasty within a 12-year period. To prevent this degradation, it is necessary to surgically repair broken ligaments. However, the suturing of ruptured ligaments is haphazard and gives poor results. For this reason autogenous transplant techniques were developed, meaning to say the reconstruction of ligaments from neighboring anatomical elements. But this approach also has its drawbacks : The surgical operation involved in the removal of these elements, useful in their natural context risks weakening the functional capital of the joint in question and involves large scale surgical intervention of a serious nature. It risks weakening the joint from which the anatomical material was taken. A long recuperation period is necessary. In the case of failure, the same anatomical material may not be used twice. On the other hand, synthetic ligaments do not present these inconveniences. They are immediately steadfast and do not require the long period of immobilization usually necessary to assure the healing of autogenous transplants. Numerous synthetic ligaments have seen the light of day in the last ten years, most in polyester. The biocompatibility of this material has been well-known for several decades used as it has been since a long while as suturing thread and in more recent years for vascular prostheses. As polyester ligaments are normally braided or woven they have the shortcoming of stretching with time, due to the settling of fibers caused by continuous wear. It is with good reason that the first synthetic ligaments were criticized as they were biologically and mechanically of poor quality. Having subjected these to exhaustive analysis, LARS has perfected a new generation of which the multiform configuration reproducing the structure and function of the element to be repaired as well as high resistance distinguish it from the performance of previous synthetic ligaments, as well as standard forms of reinforcement. Like its predecessors, the LARS ligament is made of polyester. After studying preliminary biological and biomechanical findings concerning existing fibers, it was possible to pick the elements most suitable to perfect artificial ligaments for use in orthopedic surgery. Unwoven free technical fibers in the intra-articular zone eliminate almost completely intra-ligamentary chiselling thus diminishing greatly if not entirely eliminating the secondary micro particles which cause chronic synovitis. Also, the quality controlled of chemical process LARS ligaments are subjected to whereby fibers are purified of fat and other toxic elements eliminates another factor contributing to acute synovitis. The original structure of the LARS ligament allows good fibroblastic rehabilitation. Fibrocytes settle in deeply between each free fiber of the intra-articular section. In the knitted zone fibrocytes tend to grow between the secondary fascicule though there is also a small focal penetration. Due to: o The original way a non deforming knit binds together the technical fibers composing the ligament, o The quality of manufacturing in accordance with international standards NF EN ISO 13485 and 93/42 EEC, LARS has created a new generation of artificial ligaments unique on the market : o that is of high quality, o resists more than 10 million wear test cycles combining traction, flexion and torsion, o does not have the inconvenience of stretching progressively with time (residual stretching < 1), o allows the development and the fixation of human fibroblast and consequently cellular invasion of the artificial ligament particularly in the intra-articular zone. The LARS synthetic ligament opens a new path for orthopedic reconstructive surgery, due to its mechanical properties, biocompatibility, immediate steadfastness all of which assures short patient recovery time and overall quality.