External vs. endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy: six of one, a half dozen of the other?
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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
Transcanalicular Diode Laser-assisted Dacryocystorhinostomy for the Treatment of Primary Acquired Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction
Published on: October 13, 2017
Knut Eichhorn1, Andrew R Harrison
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Purpose Of Review:
The purpose of this review is to describe the results from published clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of two types of dacryocystorhinostomy, namely external and endonasal.
Recent Findings:
Many studies report high success rates with either procedure in alleviating the consequences of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. However, only a few studies have compared the two approaches in a prospective, randomized fashion.
Summary:
Both types of procedure achieve excellent outcomes, and there is no definitive evidence from published, large-scale studies that one approach is superior to the other.
