Cytopuncture microbiopsy during transcanalicular endoscopic lacrimal duct recanalization: A novel approach

Objective@#To describe the cytopuncture microbiopsy (CM) technique performed during transcanalicular endoscopic lacrimal duct recanalization (TELDR) in patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO) as an alternative to open biopsy, the standard method used in collecting specimen.@*Methods@#This is a noncomparative, interventional case series with histopathologic correlation. Patients diagnosed with complete PANDO who underwent TELDR with balloon dacryoplasty and silicone intubation with CM at University of Santo Tomas Hospital from October 2014 to January 2017 were included.@*Results@#Twenty (20) tissue specimens from the lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct were obtained from 18 patients. There were 16 females and 2 males included in the study. Mean age was 57.5 years. All specimens revealed few clusters of benign epithelial cells with few degenerated mononuclear cells and lymphocytes, and singly scattered lymphocytes that are set in fibrinous background. Tissue cytology studies were negative for malignant cells.@*Conclusion@#CM is a minimally invasive procedure that offers an alternative to open biopsy technique that can be done routinely during TELDR.

Lysosomal enzymes and mannose 6-phosphate receptors in the lacrimal drainage system: Evidence and its potential implications

Purpose: To investigate the presence and patterns of lysosomal enzymes and mannose 6-phosophate receptor (MPRs) in human lacrimal drainage system. Methods: The study was performed on healthy lacrimal sacs and nasolacrimal ducts obtained from exenteration samples immediately after surgery and frozen at ?80°C for subsequent analysis. Soluble proteins' extract was used for enzyme assays, sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), native PAGE, activity staining, and western blot analysis. Membrane proteins were separately assessed for detection of mannose 6-phosphate receptors, MPR 46. Sepharose gels, 4-methylumbelliferyl substrates, and antibodies against common lysosomal enzymes and MPRs were used. Enzyme assays were carried out in triplicate to ascertain the results. Results: Differential lysosomal enzyme activities were documented, and among them acid phosphatase and ?-hexosaminidase were found to be high. Western blot analysis using enzyme antibodies and subsequent activity staining confirmed strong signals for moderately expressed enzymes such as fucosidase, glucuronidase, and mannosidase. Membrane extracts demonstrated the presence of MPR 46, which indicates the possible roles of cation-dependent MPRs in lysosomal targeting in human lacrimal drainage system. Conclusion: This study provides a proof of principle for the presence of differential lysosomal activity and mannose 6-phosphate ligand transport receptors in human lacrimal drainage system and hypothesizes the potential implications of their dysfunctions.

Sex and age morphometric variations in bony nasolacrimal duct and fossa for lacrimal gland in Mexican population / Variaciones morfométricas de sexo y edad en el conducto nasolagrimal óseo y la fosa de la glándula lagrimal en la población mexicana

Primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction is greater in women over 40 years and has been associated with morphometric variations in the osseous nasolacrimal duct, which varies according to age and sex. The objective is to determine variations regarding sex and age of the nasolacrimal duct and osseous fossa for lacrimal gland. One hundred sixteen dry orbits from Mexican population were analyzed; subdivided into four groups based on age and sex. The length, transverse and anteroposterior diameters of the bone entrance of the nasolacrimal duct, and the length and width of the fossa for lacrimal gland were determined. Statistical tests were applied to determine the significance of the differences found between groups. The nasolacrimal duct in women had shorter length than men in both age groups. The entrance had a wider transverse diameter in women than men independently of age and its anteroposterior diameter was shorter in men under 40 years than over 40 years. The fossa for lacrimal gland was larger in women under 40 years than in men of same age group and women over 40 years old. The lower third of the was wider in women under 40 years than in women over 40 years. Our study confirms significant differences between sex and age groups in some of the morphometric measurements of bony nasolacrimal duct and fossa for lacrimal gland in Mexican population. Comparative studies with and without clinical illness are needed to clarify if the bony characteristics of those structures participate in the etiopathogenesis and distribution differences observed in sex, age and ethnicity of thisillness.

La obstrucción de la vía lagrimal inferior es mayor en mujeres mayores de 50 años y se ha asociado a variaciones morfométricas en la entrada ósea del conducto nasolagrimal (CNL), las cuales varían según edad y sexo. El objetivo del presente estudio es determinar las variaciones respecto a sexo y edad de los diámetros de la entrada ósea del CNL, longitud del CNL y fosa de la glángula lagrimal (FL) ósea. Se analizaron 116 órbitas secas de población mexicana, los cuales a su vez fueron subdivididos en dos subgrupos en base a la edad y sexo. Se determinaron los diámetros transverso y anteroposterior de la entrada ósea del CNL, la longitud del CNL y la longitud y anchura de la FL. Se aplicaron pruebas estadísticas para determinar la significancia de las diferencias entre los grupos de estudio. La longitud del CNL fue menor en mujeres que en hombres en ambos grupos de edad. En cuanto a la entrada ósea del CNL, el diámetro transverso de fue significativamente menor en hombres que en mujeres independientemente de la edad y el diámetro anteroposterior fue menor en hombres < 40 que en > 40. La longitud de la FL fue mayor en mujeres < 40 años que en hombres del mismo rango de edad y que en mujeres > 40 años. La anchura de la FL en el tercio inferior fue menor en mujeres > 40 años que < 40 años. El resto de las mediciones de la FL no presentó diferencias significativas por sexo ni grupo de edad. Nuestro estudio confirmó que existen diferencias entre sexo y grupo de edad en algunas mediciones morfométricas del CNL y FL óseas en población mexicana. Se necesitan estudios comparativos entre personas con y sin obstrucción clínica de vía lagrimal inferior para esclarecer si las características óseas de estas estructuras participan o no en la etiopatogenia y las diferencias de distribución en género, edad y etnia de esta enfermedad.

Mitomycin-C in dacryocystorhinostomy: From experimentation to implementation and the road ahead: A review.

Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is the procedure of choice in patients with epiphora due to primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction. The evolution of surgical tools, fiber‑optic endoscopes, effective anesthesia techniques, and the adjunct use of antimetabolites intraoperatively; namely mitomycin‑C (MMC) have significantly contributed to the advancement of DCR surgery. MMC is a systemic chemotherapeutic agent derived from Streptomyces caespitosus that inhibits the synthesis of DNA, cellular RNA, and protein by inhibiting the synthesis of collagen by fibroblasts. Even the cellular changes in the human nasal mucosal fibroblasts induced by MMC at an ultrastructural level have been documented. There, however, seems to be a lack of consensus regarding MMC: The dosage, the route of delivery/application, the time of exposure and subsequently what role each of these variables plays in the final outcome of the surgery. In this review, an attempt is made to objectively examine all the evidence regarding the role of MMC in DCR. MMC appears to improve the success rate of DCR.