[Five-year application experience of cytological method in dacryological practice].

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cytopathology

Background:

• Lacrimal duct pathologies, including dacryostenosis, dacryocystitis, and canalicular obliteration, affect a significant number of patients.
• Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment monitoring are crucial for managing these conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the application and effectiveness of cytological examination in the long-term assessment of patients with lacrimal duct pathologies.
• To determine if cytological examination can be integrated into the standard diagnostic and follow-up algorithms.

Main Methods:

• A long-term study involving 194 patients (288 eyes) with various lacrimal duct conditions.
• Clinical, instrumental, and cytological examinations were performed.
• Conservative treatment for dacryostenosis and surgical interventions (microendoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, laser dacryocystorhinostomy, microendoscopic canaliculocystorhinostomy) for other conditions were employed.

Main Results:

• Cytological examination was utilized as part of the assessment and to evaluate treatment outcomes.
• The study demonstrated that cytological examination provides objective data.
• The method proved valuable in monitoring the effectiveness of both conservative and surgical treatments.

Conclusions:

• Cytological examination is an objective and valuable method for assessing patients with lacrimal duct pathologies.
• This technique can be reliably incorporated into the diagnostic and follow-up protocols for conditions affecting the lacrimal system.