Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy in Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction With and Without Dacryocystitis: A Comparative Study.

Aim: This research was designed to make a comparison of the treatment outcomes of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (En-DCR) in nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) with and without chronic dacryocystitis.

Methods: NLDO (obstruction group) and chronic dacryocystitis (dacryocystitis group) patients treated with En-DCR in the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from March 2021 to February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to CT dacryocystography, patients in each group were assigned into the high obstruction group (obstruction located in the lacrimal sac) and the low obstruction group (obstruction located at or below the junction of the nasolacrimal duct and dacryocystis). The surgery outcomes of patients in the 2 groups were compared 12 months postoperation.

Results: One hundred four patients (104 eyes: obstruction group: 49 eyes; dacryocystitis group: 55 eyes) were recruited. Patients with high obstruction accounted for 61.2% in the obstruction group and 32.7% in the dacryocystitis group. There were significantly more high obstruction patients in the obstruction group versus the dacryocystitis group (P<0.05). At 12 months postoperative follow-up, the total anatomic and functional success rate was 83.7% and 80.8%, respectively. Higher anatomic success rate (90.9%) and functional success rate (89.1%) were noted in the dacryocystitis group versus the obstruction group (75.5% and 71.4%, respectively, P<0.05).

Conclusions: The obstruction site is higher in the obstruction group in comparison to that in the dacryocystitis group. En-DCR is effective in the treatment of NLDO and chronic dacryocystitis, and its efficacy on chronic dacryocystitis is better than that on NLDO.