Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of unilateral biportal endoscopy(UBE)and percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy(PTED)in treatment of far lateral lumbar disc herniation(FLLDH).Method A retrospective analysis was conducted on 42 patients with FLLDH who underwent surgery from March 2021 to March 2023.The UBE group included 18 patients,and the PTED group included 24 patients.The surgery duration,intraoperative fluoroscopy times,length of hospital stay,perioperative complications were recorded and compared between the two groups.The degree of pain was evaluated by visual analogue scale(VAS)score for pain,the Oswestry disability index(ODI)for dysfunction was used,and the Macnab scoring standard was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy.Result The operation time of the UBE group was(95.56±20.94)min,which was longer than that of the PTED group(78.25±17.23)min,and the intraoperative blood loss was(69.17±8.95)mL,which was more than that of the PTED group(23.96±5.89)mL,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The hospitalization time of the UBE group was(5.67±1.28)d,compared with that of the PTED group(5.33±1.05)d,the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The intraoperative fluoroscopy times in the UBE group was(3.00±0.77)times,which was significantly less than that in the PTED group(7.42±0.93)times,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The VAS score and ODI of the two groups of patients after the operation were significantly lower than those before the operation,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Three days after the operation,the VAS score of leg pain in the UBE group was(3.28±0.58)and ODI was(41.17±4.30)%,which were significantly lower than those in the PTED group(4.13±0.74)and(45.50±3.91)%,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).However,when comparing the VAS score and ODI of the two groups 3 months and one year after the operation,the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the excellent and good rate between the two groups of patients(88.9%vs 87.5%,P=0.563).Two cases of nerve injury occurred in the PTED group,while no nerve injury was reported in the UBE group.No infections,recurrences,or major bleeding complications occurred in either group.Conclusion Both PTED and UBE are safe and effective for treatment of FLLDH.There is less intraoperative fluoroscopy time,clearer endoscopic view,and significantly lower risk of nerve injury in UBE.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of unilateral biportal endoscopy(UBE)and percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy(PTED)in treatment of far lateral lumbar disc herniation(FLLDH).Method A retrospective analysis was conducted on 42 patients with FLLDH who underwent surgery from March 2021 to March 2023.The UBE group included 18 patients,and the PTED group included 24 patients.The surgery duration,intraoperative fluoroscopy times,length of hospital stay,perioperative complications were recorded and compared between the two groups.The degree of pain was evaluated by visual analogue scale(VAS)score for pain,the Oswestry disability index(ODI)for dysfunction was used,and the Macnab scoring standard was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy.Result The operation time of the UBE group was(95.56±20.94)min,which was longer than that of the PTED group(78.25±17.23)min,and the intraoperative blood loss was(69.17±8.95)mL,which was more than that of the PTED group(23.96±5.89)mL,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The hospitalization time of the UBE group was(5.67±1.28)d,compared with that of the PTED group(5.33±1.05)d,the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The intraoperative fluoroscopy times in the UBE group was(3.00±0.77)times,which was significantly less than that in the PTED group(7.42±0.93)times,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The VAS score and ODI of the two groups of patients after the operation were significantly lower than those before the operation,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Three days after the operation,the VAS score of leg pain in the UBE group was(3.28±0.58)and ODI was(41.17±4.30)%,which were significantly lower than those in the PTED group(4.13±0.74)and(45.50±3.91)%,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).However,when comparing the VAS score and ODI of the two groups 3 months and one year after the operation,the differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the excellent and good rate between the two groups of patients(88.9%vs 87.5%,P=0.563).Two cases of nerve injury occurred in the PTED group,while no nerve injury was reported in the UBE group.No infections,recurrences,or major bleeding complications occurred in either group.Conclusion Both PTED and UBE are safe and effective for treatment of FLLDH.There is less intraoperative fluoroscopy time,clearer endoscopic view,and significantly lower risk of nerve injury in UBE.