Comparison of Outcomes of Silicone Tube Intubation with or without Dacryoendoscopy for the Treatment of Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction

Abstract

Abstract In this retrospective study, we compared and analyzed two groups of patients undergoing silicone tube intubation (STI) for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNDO), one with dacryoendoscopy and one without. A total of 87 eyes from 70 patients were included, with 52 eyes from 41 patients in the group without dacryoendoscopy and 35 eyes from 29 patients in the group with dacryoendoscopy. The total success rate of STI was 90.8%, with a higher success rate of 94.3% in patients treated with dacryoendoscopy compared to 88.5% in patients without. In patients under 36 months of age, the success rate was 100% (23 eyes). Among patients with membranous obstruction at Hasner's valve, all were younger than 36 months old and presented with structural obstruction in the lacrimal drainage system (LDS) (p = 0.024). However, in patients without membrane obstruction at Hasner's valve, both secretory obstruction (46.4%) and structural obstruction (53.6%) in the LDS were observed at similar rates, regardless of age. Combined obstructions were also observed in the LDS in CNDO, and the type of obstruction at Hasner's valve varied in every patient.