Objective: To observe the clinical effect and safety of laparoscopic surgery and open surgery in the treatment of children with cryptorchidism. Methods: A total of 120 children with cryptorchidism treated at the Department of Urology, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were selected as the research subjects between January 2017 and December 2020. Among them, children treated with open surgery were included in the control group (n=58), while those treated with laparoscopic surgery were included in the study group (n=62). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, length of incision, and hospital stay were compared between the 2 groups. Inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP)] before and after the surgery, the success rate of one-time descent, re-operation rate, and incidences of postoperative complications were observed. Results: The intraoperative blood loss, the length of incision and length of hospital stay of the study group were significantly less or shorter than those of the control group (P<0.05), and the operation time was slightly longer than that of the control group (P>0.05). At the 1st, 3rd and 5th days after the surgery, only IL-6 and CRP levels in the control group were significantly higher than those before the surgery. After the surgery, IL-6 and CRP levels in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the success rate of one-time descent and re-operation rate between the 2 groups (P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative testicular atrophy was significantly higher, and the rate of intraoperative spermatic cord vascular damage was significantly lower in the study group than those in the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was significantly lower in the study group than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Laparoscopic surgery is equivalent to open surgery in the treatment of children with cryptorchidism from the perspective of the success rate of one-time descent. However, the former has less trauma and milder postoperative inflammatory response, which is more conducive to the children’s postoperative recovery. Meanwhile, it can significantly reduce the risk of spermatic cord vascular damage.