Treatment of acute dacryocystitis in neonates

Twenty-five newborns with acute dacryocystitis underwent probing of the nasolacrimal duct. All had a resolution of the acute dacryocystitis. Only one continued to have epiphora and had to undergo a subsequent probing with silicone intubation at 9 months of age. All were probed without anesthesia, being mummified and held by nurses while the author performed the probing. Only five were treated with parenteral and topical antibiotics for a week prior to probing while 20 were probed without any prior antibiotic therapy. Additionally, five of six mucoceles of the lacrimal sac which did not resolve in the 1st 2 weeks of life with massage were successfully probed without anesthesia. Four of the five mucoceles had developed an acute dacryocystitis on conservative management. Probing of the nasolacrimal duct in the newborn period is a safe and successful approach for acute dacryocystitis. It is a highly successful procedure for the treatment of acute dacryocystitis with a very low morbidity rate.