ObjectiveTo systematically review the efficacy of hamstring tendon autograft versus hamstring tendon allograft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by arthroscopy. MethodsDatabases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2015), CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about hamstring tendon autograft versus hamstring tendon allograft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by arthroscopy from inception to February 2015. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsA total of 6 RCTs involving 535 knees were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that:(1) Postoperative physical outcomes:There were no significant differences between the hamstring tendon autograft group and the hamstring tendon allograft group in positive rate of Lachman test (RR=1.25, 95%CI 0.92 to 1.71, P=0.15) and positive rate of Pivot shift test (RR=1.04, 95%CI 0.93 to 1.17, P=0.47) at 1 year postoperatively. (2) Postoperative functional recovery outcomes:There were no significant differences between both groups in KT-1000/2000 measurement (MD=-0.79, 95%CI -1.78 to 1.20, P=0.12), abnormal rate of IKDC scores (RR=1.03, 95%CI 0.90 to 1.1, P=0.42) and Lysholm scores (MD=0.23, 95%CI -1.86 to 2.33, P=0.83) at 1 year postoperatively. ConclusionHamstring tendon autograft and hamstring tendon allograft have similar efficacy in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction by arthroscopy. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more large-scale and high quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.