This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Functional, anatomical success rates for dacryocystorhinostomy differ between specialists, trainees
Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2009;25(6):472-475.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Trainees had lower functional and anatomical success rates after external dacryocystorhinostomy than specialist lacrimal surgeons, with significant differences in patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction, a study found.
"When canalicular disease was excluded, results for [primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction] were higher," the authors said. "Surgery performed by the specialist lacrimal surgeon had higher success rates than when performed by trainee."
For patients who had watering eyes from non-primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction etiology that included canalicular disease, surgery by specialists and trainees had moderate but not significantly different success.
The retrospective case review examined 158 consecutive patients who underwent primary external dacryocystorhinostomy for epiphora. The study assessed functional success by patients' symptoms and anatomical success by objective tests of lacrimal system patency.
According to the study, 124 of the 158 cases had an overall functional success rate of 69%, while anatomical success rate was 74%.
Follow-up was a minimum of 6 months, with mean duration of 2.6 years.