Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy with Jones tube: a history and update.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Current opinions and trends in the management of upper lacrimal obstruction include design variations on the original Lester Jones tube and updated awareness and management of the problems associated with the tubes. This article includes a brief review of the fascinating history of the development of the Jones tube, which sets the perspective for the current scientific dialog. RECENT FINDINGS: First, many design modifications have been proposed to reduce the risk of tube migration and extrusion, with no consensus on the best tube. Second, the issue of retrograde airflow through the Jones tube with the use of continuous positive airway pressure is an increasingly common and challenging problem. Third, bacterial biofilms on the surface of the Jones tube can play a role in recalcitrant infections. Jones tubes can be cleaned or replaced in the office setting with topical anesthesia. SUMMARY: Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) with placement of a Jones tube remains the gold standard for management of upper lacrimal obstruction. This article provides an updated perspective on issues with extrusion or migration of the tube, bothersome retrograde airflow with the use of a continuous positive airway pressure device, and management of crusting and possible infectious biofilms on the tube.

Origins of lacrimal surgery, and evolution of dacryocystorhinostomy to the present.

The creation of an alternative pathway from the lacrimal sac into the nose has been practised for over two millennia. Early historical figures who pioneered lacrimal surgery were Celsus and Galen, treating dacryocystitis by plunging a red-hot cautery iron through the lacrimal bone into the nose. Better understanding of lacrimal physiology and anatomy led to the introduction of more sophisticated techniques in the 18th century. However, despite these approaches, the technique of Celsus continued to be practised well into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Modern lacrimal surgery began when the Italian otolaryngologist, Toti, described his external dacryocystorhinostomy procedure in 1904. Dupuy-Dutemps and Bourget refined Toti's procedure, and introduced the technique of anastomosing lacrimal and nasal mucosal flaps which remains the foundation of the external dacryocystorhinostomy performed today. The endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy was described before the external approach, but its popularity and success grew only in recent times.

[History of endonasal microsurgery of lacrimal system]. / Historia mikrochirurgii wewnatrznosowej dróg lzowych.

The history and development of surgical treatment of lacrimal system from rhinological point of view was presented. The lacrimal drainage system has provoked great deal of investigation throughout history, because ophtalmologists couldn't attain persistent and permeable drainage between the lacrimal and the nose. The change came, when first Italian rhinologist Toti described external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR), and later West performed endonasal DCR. The use of microscope and endoscope in rhinosurgery caused the significant progress also in lacrimal surgery. The development of endonasal microsurgery enabled to introduce other non invasive procedure, such as endoscopic laser dacryocystorhinostomy or transcanalicular dacryo-cystorhinostomy (endo-canalicular DCR). One of the newest method in the treatment of complete and partial obstruction of lacrimal drainage system is also baloon dacryocystoplasty.