The combination of the generalized transverse resonance technique, a field-matching method, and the generalized scattering matrix (GSM) concept is proposed in this paper as an efficient, versatile, and accurate method for the analysis of laterally open periodic waveguides. The proposed method accounts for both open and periodic boundary conditions without any approximation. Its only drawback is its restriction to the analysis of structures that can be segmented in the Cartesian coordinate system. However, a staircase approach has been successfully applied to overcome this basic limitation. The segmentation of the waveguides, the field expansions for TMp,qz Bloch modes in each partition, and a modification of the well-known GSM cascading procedure for the analysis of a particular type of structure are detailed. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach, four structures, similar to the substrate integrated waveguide, have been analyzed, built, and measured. These examples include single-row square-post and circular-post waveguides, and displaced-row and multiple-row square-post waveguides. The computations and measurements confirm the efficiency, accuracy, and great versatility of this method.