A retrospective case-control study: Comparison of the clinical efficacy of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopy-assisted lumbar fusion and traditional posterior decompression interbody fusion in the treatment of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis

To compare the clinical efficacy of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopy-assisted lumbar interbody fusion (PT-Endo-LIF) and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS). The observation group had lower Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) scores at postoperative 7 days, 1 month and 3 months. At 1 month postoperatively, its Oswestry Disability Index(ODI) and (Japanese Orthopaedic Association)JOA improvements were significantly superior (p < 0.05); at 3 months, all score improvements were comparable between groups[VAS, ODI, JOA, Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36)]. The observation group had longer operation time, but significantly less blood loss, shorter ambulation time and fewer complications.PT-Endo-LIF yields favorable short-term efficacy for DLSS, with 3-month efficacy similar to PLIF and fewer complications, facilitating faster postoperative recovery.