Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare endoscopic discectomy (ED) with microdiscectomy (MD) for lumbar disc herniation, evaluating patient-reported outcomes, perioperative parameters, and complications to determine if ED could replace MD as the gold standard.Methods: Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines, we searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science (January 2000–June 2025) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies comparing MD with ED subtypes (transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy TELD, interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy IELD, and unilateral biportal endoscopy UBE). Outcomes included Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, operative time, hospital stay, complications, and recurrence. Pooled mean differences and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using random-effects models, with subgroup analyses by ED subtype. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2.0 and ROBINS-I tools.Results: Seventeen studies (9 RCTs, 8 cohorts; n=3,115) were included. ED significantly reduced hospital stay (mean difference, -2.43 days; 95% CI, -3.62 to -1.23; p95%) and limited long-term data (>2 years) were noted.Conclusion: ED offers perioperative advantages and comparable efficacy but does not surpass MD due to TELD’s increased recurrence risk. IELD and UBE are promising alternatives, but MD remains the benchmark. Long-term RCTs are needed.
Sauber et al. (Fri,) studied this question.