Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic surgery versus open surgery in the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis.Methods From October 2013 to February 2015

a total of 56 patients who were diagnosed as lumbar spinal stenosis and treated at a hospital in Huang shi were randomized to either the trial group（n=30）or the control group（n=26）.Patients in the trial group received percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic surgery

while those in the control group received traditional open posterior lumbar laminectomy decompression and interbody fusion.The operative duration

intraoperative blood loss

length of hospital stay

pre-and post-operative visual analogue scale（VAS）score as well as lumbar function score were compared between the two groups.Results Patients in the trial group had significantly shorter operative duration

less intraoperative blood loss

and shorter length of hospital stay compared with those in the control group（P<0.05）.In both groups

at 24 hour and 48 hours after surgery

the VAS score was significantly lower than that before surgery;at 1 year after surgery

the lumbar function score was also significantly improved than that before surgery（P<0.05）.Conclusion For patients with lumbar spinal stenosis

percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic surgery is associated with short operative duration

minimal intraoperative blood loss

and rapid postoperative recovery

which may support its widespread clinical use.