Letter to the editor regarding “Full‑endoscopic (bi‑portal or uni‑portal) versus microscopic lumbar decompression laminectomy in patients with spinal stenosis: systematic review and meta‑analysis”

A recent article entitled “Full‑endoscopic (bi‑portal or uni‑portal) versus microscopic lumbar decompression laminectomy in patients with spinal stenosis: systematic review and meta‑analysis” written by Pairuchvej et al. (Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 30(4):595–611, 2019) published in “European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology” has aroused our great interest. The authors concluded that compared with minimally invasive decompression surgery, full endoscopic spinal surgery had better pain relief (back pain and leg pain) in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis and had a lower complication rate, but no statistical difference in oswestry disability index score and operative time between both groups. Comparing to minimally invasive spinal surgery, bi-portal endoscopic spinal surgery had better back pain relief in the early stage, while uni-portal full endoscopic spinal surgery had better pain relief in the leg and a lower rate of complications.