[Surgery for lower nasolacrimal duct obstructions in adults]

Epiphora and purulent discharge are common and irritating clinical manifestations of nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO). If conservative treatment fails, dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) has proven an efficient surgical method. The aim of DCR is to bypass the obstruction by creating a stoma between the lacrimal sac and the nasal cavity. External DCR has been the gold standard for decades. In recent years with the development of nasal endoscopes, less invasive surgical techniques, such as endonasal endoscopic DCR have become an increasingly popular procedure in the treatment of patients with NLDO. In such patients, the success rates for both external and endonasal DCR are about 90% and a successful procedure has a significant impact on the quality of life.