[Endonasal versus trans-canalicular endoscopic dacriocystorhinostomy using diode laser. Surgical techniques and outcomes].

Objective: To evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of the endoscopic endonasal versus transcanalicular approaches using diode laser, and to compare their clinical outcomes.

Patients And Method: A total of 127 patients were operated on, 80 of them with the endonasal approach (Group I) and 47 with the transcanalicular technique (Group II).

Outcomes: Epiphora improved completely in 67 patients in Group I (83.7 %) while the other 13 (16.2 %) continued to present the same symptoms. In Group II, a successful result was achieved in 39 patients (82.9 %) and 8 (17 %) of them had to be re-operated because of the persistence of epiphora.

Conclusions: The surgical outcomes are similar with both laser techniques. The main advantages of using diode laser are that it does not require general anaesthesia, the lower intra- and peri-operative morbidity, the lack of nasal packing and the greater ease of performing additional interventions if it fails. The only real disadvantage of laser procedures is the high cost.