Objective To investigate the effect of nitroglycerin combined with esmolol controlled hypotension on cerebral function in patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion with cage implantation. Methods Forty patients received posterior lumbar interbody fusion with cage implantation were randomly assigned to observation group or control group, with 20 cases in each group. Both groups received standard general anesthesia procedure. The observation group received nitroglycerin combined with esmolol controlled hypotension after the start of surgery to reduce mean arterial pressure (MAP) to 70% of the baseline value. After then, the nitroglycerin dosage was subsequently adjusted according to intraoperative heart rate and blood pressure. Nitroglycerin and esmolol were stopped and blood pressure was restored within ±20% of the baseline when the incision was flushed. The control group received no treatment for controlled hypotension, and the blood pressure was maintained within ±20% of the baseline during the operation. The general clinical observation indices and the usage of relevant drugs, as well as heart rate, MAP, regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2), bispectral index (BIS), and end⁃tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure (PetCO2) at different time points; furthermore, the levels of serum S100β protein and neuron‑specific enolase (NSE) before surgery, immediately after surgery, and 24 hours postoperatively, as well as Mini‑Mental State Examination (MMSE) score before surgery, and 1, 3, and 5 days after surgery, were all compared between patients of the two groups. Results The observation group exhibited less intraoperative bleeding volume as compared with the control group (P<0.05), whereas there was no statistically significant difference in the remaining general clinical observation indices and the usage of relevant drugs between the two groups (P>0.05). The heart rate and MAP of both groups interpreted a trend of first decreasing and then increasing over time, and the observation group yielded lower MAP during the process of controlled hypotension as compared with the control group (P<0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in the heart rate between the two groups at various time points (P>0.05). The BIS of the two groups decreased firstly and then increased with time, whereas PetCO2 and rScO2 overall exhibited a trend of first increasing followed by decreasing and then increasing, but there was no statistically significant difference in BIS, PetCO2 and rScO2 between the two groups at various time points (P>0.05). The levels of serum NSE, S100β protein and MMSE score in the two groups did not change with time, and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Nitroglycerin combined with esmolol controlled hypotension can reduce intraoperative bleeding volume in patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion with cage implantation, and its effect on perioperative BIS, PetCO2, rScO2 is similar to non⁃controlled hypotension, exerting no significant effect on perioperative serum S100β protein and NSE levels, and MMSE score.