Total knee arthroplasty is an effective method for the treatment of end-stage knee osteoarthrosis, which can effectively relieve joint pain and reconstruct the integrity of the joint. Whether the posterior cruciate ligament should be preserved during surgery or not, which is still in dispute. In recent years, posterior cruciate-retaining and substituting total knee prostheses are both applied in clinical practice. Both domestic and international studies have shown that there are no significant difference in patient satisfaction, knee flexion, survival rate of the prosthesis and the main clinical manifestations between two prostheses. However, posterior cruciate-retaining total knee prosthesis is more consistent with the normal physiology and biomechanics of the human body. The gait is more balanced and proprioceptive when walking up and down the stairs, but when the joints are buckling, the femur is abnormal to move back to the tibia, resulting in abnormal motion. While posterior cruciate-substituting total knee prosthesis can correct severe deformity of the knee, and keep better balance between flexion and extension of the knee joint, but there is a potential complication of patellar clunk syndrome. Therefore, under the same conditions, the younger patients may prefer to chose posterior cruciate-retaining total knee prosthesis, while elder patients may prefer to chose posterior cruciate-substituting total knee prosthesis. This paper reviews the function of posterior cruciate ligament, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of two prostheses, so as to provide some references for clinic.