Does long-term success from endoscopic DCR correlate with early post-operative reduction in tearing?

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the association between early post-operative improvement in tearing and the long-term success rate of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (eDCR).

Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent eDCR and were followed up for at least 6 months at our institution from January 2010 to December 2017 was performed.

Results: 47 cases(39 patients) of eDCR met the inclusion and exclusion criteria during this time period. Mean follow up after the surgery was 12.5 ± 8 months. In 45 out of 47 (96%) cases post-operative improvement in epiphora within 2 weeks of surgery, or lack thereof, correlated with long-term success or failure of the procedure. There were only 2 cases in which the patients felt improvement in tearing at the initial post-operative visit and the tearing recurred in the late post-operative period (>6 months).

Conclusions: There is a strong association between the early initial post-operative assessment of tearing resolution and the long-term result of eDCR.