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Air reflux linked with symptomatic success after external DCR, study finds
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Air reflux commonly occurs after external dacryocystorhinostomy and is associated with symptomatic success, according to a study by researchers in London.
Helen Mary Herbert, MBBS, FRCOphth, and Geoffrey E. Rose, DSc, FRCS, FRCOphth, interviewed 77 patients more than 1 year after surgery who underwent 98 total lacrimal operations to investigate the prevalence of air reflux and other lacrimal symptoms.
Air reflux was reported after 46 of the 98 total procedures (47%), and persisted in 36 of these 47 eyes (78%) at 58 months mean follow-up, according to the study.
The incidence of air reflux was similar between eyes that did and did not undergo membranectomy. Such reflux occurred in eight of 22 eyes (36%) treated with membranectomy and in 38 of 76 (50%) not treated with membranectomy, yielding a 0.7 relative risk of air reflux with membranectomy, the authors reported.
Overall, 83 of the 98 eyes (85%) achieved symptomatic success.
"Reflux was associated with a higher success rate (P=.02) and was significantly less likely to be associated with unchanged or worse symptoms (P=.03)," they noted.
The study is published in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.