Primary Treatment of Acute Dacryocystitis by Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy with Silicone Intubation Guided by a Soft Probe

Purpose To investigate the suitability of cold steel endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EES-DCR) with circular bicanalicular intubation with silicone tubes (CBIST) guided by a soft probe for the primary treatment of acute purulent dacryocystitis (APD). Design Prospective, randomized, interventional case series. Participants Seventy-two patients (59 females, 13 males) with a median presenting age of 55±12 years (range, 28–71 years). Methods Eighty-four patients with unilateral APD were equally and randomly divided into 2 groups. Cold steel EES-DCR was performed after the lacrimal abscess formation, and external dacryocystorhinostomy (E-DCR) was performed 1 to 2 weeks after resolution of the acute inflammation. In both groups, CBIST guided by a soft probe was performed and the silicone tubes were kept in the lacrimal passages for 3 months. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 12 to 24 months. Outcomes were compared between both groups, considering resolution time for external acute inflammation, success rate of free lacrimal passage reconstruction, and lack of complications as indicators of treatment suitability. Main Outcome Measures Time for resolution of the external acute inflammation, success rate of free lacrimal passage reconstruction, and complications. Results In this study, complete postoperative data were acquired from 40 patients in the EES-DCR group and from 32 patients in the E-DCR group, and the outcomes were compared. Acute inflammation resolved more quickly in the EES-DCR group than in the E-DCR group ( P