Comparison Between Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Discectomy and Fenestration in the Treatment of Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic and prognostic effects of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression (PTED) for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS). MATERIAL/METHODS: One hundred eighty-eight patients with DLSS were randomly divided into the fenestration and the PTED group for decompression treatment. Operative time, incision length, amount of blood loss, length of hospitalization, and rates of complications in the 2 groups were compared. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the first postoperative day. All patients were assessed preoperatively and the treatment effects at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively were evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Association Score (JOA) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The modified MacNab criteria were used to assess patient satisfaction 1 year after surgery at the last follow-up. RESULTS: Patients who underwent PTED had shorter incisions, less blood loss, and shorter hospital stays than those in the fenestration group, but operative times and complication rates were similar in the 2 groups. Moreover, CT scanning and MRI revealed similar treatment effects in the 2 groups. Compared with preoperative status, improvements in VAS, ODI, and JOA scores occurred at different times after surgery in the 2 groups. In particular, all 3 scores in the PTED group were higher than those in the fenestration group at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. There were no significant differences in MacNab scores between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: PTED is safer and more effective than traditional fenestration for management of DLSS.