The increase in the average lifespan of humans has led to a sharp increase in degenerative spinal disease. As a consequence, spinal stenosis has become a very important factor in determining the quality of life of elderly patients. The development of minimally invasive approaches to surgery for spinal stenosis has therefore become a priority in order to improve quality of life for these patients.

The surgical procedure for spinal stenosis was initially completed via open surgery, such as open laminectomy and fusion surgery; however, the various risks and complications of open surgery have resulted in a necessity for minimally invasive spinal surgery. Minimally invasive surgery for spinal stenosis has been developed using a percutaneous pedicle screw system and microscope-assisted surgery to reduce the complications of open surgery. However, additional developments in surgical techniques are still needed to minimize the complications associated with spinal stenosis. Recently, endoscopic surgery has been introduced to meet these needs.

This special issue aims to describe the current cutting-edge techniques for minimally invasive spine surgery for degenerative spinal stenosis and to discuss the future direction of the technique. Researchers are invited to submit both original research articles and reviews relevant to this topic.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Endoscopic decompression of spinal stenosis
• Endoscopic assisted decompression of spinal stenosis
• Endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion of spinal stenosis
• Endoscopic assisted lumbar interbody fusion of spinal stenosis
• Minimally invasive approaches to surgery for spinal stenosis
• Results of minimally invasive spinal surgery for spinal stenosis
• Cutting-edge surgical techniques for spinal stenosis