9 randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis, which compared outcomes between endoscopic discectomy and open discectomy in patients undergoing treatment for lumbar disc herniation. For perioperative measures, endoscopic discectomy was significantly favoured for both blood loss and length of hospital stay. Postoperatively, patient satisfaction rates were significantly higher in endoscopic discectomy groups, while there was no significant difference between groups observed in grading of postoperative function through the Macnab criteria.