ObjectiveTo analyze and compare the clinical efficacy and safety between one-stage operation and staged operation in the treatment of tandem spinal stenosis (TSS).MethodsThe data of 39 patients with TSS were retrospectively analyzed, who were definitely diagnosed and treated surgically between February 2011 and March 2016 in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University. According to whether one-stage decompression was performed, the patients were divided into group A (cervical and lumbar vertebral canal decompression procedures were performed in one stage, n=21) and group B (cervical and lumbar spinal canal decompression procedures were performed in two stages with a time interval of 3-6 months, n=18). Both one-stage and staged operations were performed by the same surgical team. The Nurick scores, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores of cervical spine and lumbar spine, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before operation and in postoperative follow-up, postoperative JOA improvement rate, and perioperative indicators were recorded and compared.ResultsAll patients completed the operations successfully, and the lengths of follow-up were all longer than 12 months. There was no significant difference in gender, age, body mass index, preoperative duration of symptoms, preoperative Kang grade, preoperative Schizas grade, preoperative underlying diseases, preoperative cervical or lumbar spine JOA score, preoperative ODI, preoperative Nurick score, decompression segment or distribution, or length of follow-up between the two groups (P>0.05). The Nurick score, JOA score of cervical and lumbar spine, and ODI at one year after operation and the last follow-up were significantly improved compared with those before operation. The one-year after operation improvement rates of JOA of cervical and lumbar spine in group A were significantly higher than those in group B [cervical spine: (70.55±9.28)% vs. (55.29±7.82)%, P<0.05; lumbar spine: (69.50±4.95)% vs. (51.58±7.62)%, P<0.05], but there was no significant difference in the improvement rate of JOA between the two groups at the last follow-up (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in Nurick score or ODI between the two groups at one year after operation or the last follow-up (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the average length of hospital stay between the two groups [(15.67±3.40) vs. (15.72±1.57) d, P>0.05]. The operation time [(293.10±43.83) vs. (244.44±22.29) min] and intraoperative bleeding [(533.33±180.51) vs. (380.56±38.88) mL] in group A were significantly higher than those in group B (P<0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications of group A was higher than that of group B (57.1% vs. 16.7%, P<0.05).ConclusionsCompared with staged surgery, one-stage operation in the treatment of TSS has a significant improvement in neurological function and clinical efficacy in short-term follow-up, but there is no significant difference in long-term follow-up. Staged surgery has the advantages of shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, lower postoperative complication rate, and higher safety.