ABSTRACT
Thirty eyes of 28 patients with herpetic disease were included in the study. Group 1 patients (15 eyes of 15 subjects) received topical acyclovir (ACV) ointment. Oral valacyclovir (VACV) was prescribed to group 2 (15 eyes of 13 patients). The anterior segment of each eye was carefully examined by slit lamp and scored. Each patient was also instructed to grade his/her subjective symptoms. The corneal lesion healed significantly faster in the group 2 eyes compared to the group 1 eyes. Photophobia score on day 3 and slit-lamp score on day 10 were at significantly lower levels in group 2 compared to group 1. In herpetic keratitis, oral VACV can be a good alternative to ACV ointment therapy.
Subject(s)
Acyclovir/analogs & derivatives , Acyclovir/administration & dosage , Acyclovir/therapeutic use , Keratitis, Herpetic/drug therapy , Valine/analogs & derivatives , Administration, Oral , Administration, Topical , Female , Humans , Keratitis, Herpetic/pathology , Male , Valacyclovir , Valine/administration & dosage , Valine/therapeutic useABSTRACT
AIM: To evaluate the long-term follow-up results of external dacryocystorhinostomy (Ex-DCR) and to assess the role of some factors in its success. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1990 and November 2002, 437 nasolacrimal systems of 387 patients were operated on and included in the study. The success rates were determined on the basis of the last examinations of the patients, and the correlations between success rates and factors such as age, gender, the duration of obstruction, history of acute dacryocystitis, the side of obstruction, and the postoperative follow-up period were calculated. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 5.9 +/- 2.5 years. Fifty cases (12.9%) were operated bilaterally. The initial success rate was 91.5% and the last success rate was 98.4% after reoperations. We found meaningful correlations between success and duration of obstruction, age of the patient, and the duration of postoperative follow-up (r = 0.18, 0.17 and -0.14, p = 0.036, 0.001 and 0.002, respectively). DISCUSSION: In comparison to newly developed surgical techniques for the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction, Ex-DCR still appears to offer higher success rates, even after long-term follow-up. In addition to being a cost-effective procedure, it requires no sophisticated instruments. In our opinion, the high success rates may be explained by the nature of the operation, which creates a fistula between the sac and the nasal mucosa.
