Abstract: [Objective] To evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic discectomy with targeted foraminoplasty by visual trephine in the treatment of lumbar disc prolapse. [Methods] A retrospective study was done on 58 patients who underwent percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) for lumbar disc prolapse in our department from March 2019 to July 2021. According to doctor-patient communication, 30 patients underwent targeted foraminoplasty with visual trephine in the PTED (the visible group), with other 28 patients were with invisible trephine (the invisible group). The perioperative, follow-up and imaging data of the two groups were compared. [Results] The visual group proved significantly superior to the invisible group in terms of operation time [(63.2±5.3 min) vs (75.8±7.4) min, P<0.001], intraoperative blood loss [(51.8±3.4) ml vs (59.2±4.9) ml, P<0.001] and intraoperative fluoroscopy times [(4.2±0.6) times vs (10.5±1.2) times, P< 0.001], but there was no significant difference in incision length and hospital stay between the two groups (P>0.05). The mean follow-up time was of (17.4±6.5) months, and there was no significant difference between the two groups in the time to return to full weight-bearing activities (P>0.05). With time elapsed, the VAS and ODI scores were significantly decreased in both groups (P<0.05), whereas which were not statistically significant between the two groups at any time point accordingly (P>0.05). With regard of imaging, the vertebral canal space occupancy rate was significantly decreased (P<0.05), whereas the vertebral space height and lumbar lordotic angle remained unchanged in both groups postoperatively compared with those preoperatively (P>0.05), and there were no statistically significant differences in the abovementioned image parameters between the two groups at any time points correspondingly (P>0.05). [Conclusion] The targeted foraminoplasty with visual trephine in PTED does achieve satisfactory clinical consequence for lumbar disc prolapse, with advantages of meeting the demand properly, reducing the number of X-ray fluoroscopy, shortening the puncture catheterization time, reducing bleeding, declining intraoperative pain of patients, and improving the patient's intraoperative experience.