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Rhinostomy successful with Murube tube
MADRID, Spain — Obstructed lacrimal pathways can be successfully opened with a silicone tube, according to a poster presentation here at the Congress of the European Society of Ophthalmology.
Lucia ChenZhuo, MD, compared the success rates of the Murube tube and the Jones tube over a 2-year period. Both devices are designed to relieve excessive tearing from blocked lacrimal pathways by shunting the tears to drain through the nose. The Jones device is a glass tube that is run horizontally from the caruncle into the nose through an osteotomy. The Murube device is a silicone tube that runs vertically through the soft facial tissues into the nose.
The devices were implanted in 20 patients each. After 2 years, obstruction occurred in four patients with the Murube tube and three with the Jones tube. According to Dr. ChenZhuo, obstructions in the Murube tube can be easily unblocked by using a syringe or passing a knotted string through the tube.
Displacement of the tubes occurred in six patients who had Jones tubes and in two patients with the Murube tube. Nasal granulation occurred in five patients with the Jones tube and in one with the Murube tube. Infection occurred in two patients in each group.