Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy, Foraminoplasty, Unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy, Far lateral lumbar disc herniation, Orthopedic surgery, RD701-811, Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, RC925-935

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) and unilateral biportal endoscopic (UBE) discectomy in treating patients with far lateral lumbar disc herniation (FLLDH). Methods From January 2020 to January 2022, 65 patients with FLLDH underwent either PELD or UBE discectomy. Among them, 35 were treated with PELD (25 males and 10 females, average age 35.3 ± 12.7), and 30 were treated with UBE (21 males and 9 females, average age 43.5 ± 9.2). Factors such as operation time, fluoroscopy frequency, length of hospitalization, in-bed time after operation, hospitalization cost, complications, visual analogue scale (VAS, 0–10), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI, 0–100%), and modified MacNab criteria were assessed and compared between the two groups. Results The demographic data were well matched between the PELD group and UBE group, without significant differences (P > 0.05). After surgery, both surgical procedures achieved significant improvement in VAS and ODI scores (P 0.05). The PELD group was superior to the UBE group, showing shorter hospital stay (P