Factors Affecting the Long-term Outcome of Silicone Tube Intubation in Patients With Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction

PURPOSE: To evaluate factors affecting the outcome of silicone tube intubation in patients with nasolacrimal duct obstruction. METHODS: A retrospective study of the outcome of silicone tube intubation performed from August 2001 to August 2009 in 98 patients (132 eyes) with nasolacrimal duct obstruction was conducted. Improvement was defined as the disappearance of epiphora after silicone tube intubation and success was defined as maintenance of improvement by the time of the final patient follow-up. Recurrence was also defined as appearance of epiphora after silicone tube extubation. RESULTS: The success rate was 76.5% (101 eyes), failure rate was 8.3% (11 eyes), and recurrence rate was 15.2% (20 eyes). Preoperative canaliculus irrigation test was significantly correlated with symptomatic improvement and recurrence after silicone tube intubation (p = 0.003 and 0.045, respectively). The mean time that patients experienced recurrence was 43.7 months after silicone tube intubation, according to Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative canaliculus irrigation test is a simple and effective tool to estimate the outcome of silicone tube intubation. This outcome should be considered in the stage of planning treatment in nasolacrimal duct obstruction patients.

Correspondence among the Canaliculus Irrigation Test, Dacryocystography and Jones Test in the Epiphora Patients

PURPOSE: The correspondence between the canaliculus irrigation test, dacryocystography, and Jones test in patients with epiphora was investigated. METHODS: The study included 494 eyes of 359 patients who complained of epiphora and underwent both canaliculus irrigation test and dacryocystography from May 2001 to March 2006. Sixty-eight eyes from 34 patients diagnosed with functional lacrimal duct obstruction took Jones tests. Factors such as age, sex, duration of epiphora, and site of obstruction were analyzed in terms of correspondence of the tests. RESULTS: Between the canaliculus irrigation test and dacryocystography, correspondent rate was 55%. Correspondence had no relation to patient age, sex, duration of epiphora, or site of obstruction. Between Jones test and dacryocystography, the correspondent rate was 47%. Factors affecting the correspondences were not significantly found. CONCLUSIONS: A canaliculus irrigation test can give useful information with high correspondence rate of dacryocystography in the case of 'not pass' or 'pass without regurgitation'. Therefore dacryocystography should be utilized in "pass with regurgitation" cases by canaliculus irrigation test.