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Updated: Feb 26, 2026
Transcanalicular Diode Laser-assisted Dacryocystorhinostomy for the Treatment of Primary Acquired Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction
Published on: October 13, 2017
Canaliculorhinostomy-Indications and Surgical Results
Jung Hye Lee1, Stephanie Ming Young2, Yoon-Duck Kim3
1Department of Ophthalmology, Hyemin Eye Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
Purpose:
To report the surgical results of canaliculorhinostomy for patients with distal canalicular obstruction and lacking a structurally functional lacrimal sac who would otherwise require a conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) with Jones tube placement.
Design:
Retrospective observational case series.
Methods:
Setting: Single tertiary institution.
Period:
November 1994 to June 2011.
Patient Population:
Sixteen patients with canalicular obstruction at or beyond 8 mm from the punctum, with an absent or unidentifiable lacrimal sac.
Intervention:
Patients underwent canaliculorhinostomy, whereby direct anastomosis of the canaliculi or common canaliculus to the nasal mucosa was performed.
Main Outcome Measures:
Anatomic and functional success.
Results:
Our study comprised 16 patients with a mean age of 44.9 ± 21.9 years. Ten (62.5%) were female and 6 (37.5%) male. Mean duration of follow-up was 7.8 years. Causes of an absent or unidentifiable lacrimal sac included previous trauma (n = 8, 50.0%), previous dacryocystorhinostomy (n = 4, 25.0%), chronic dacryocystitis (n = 3, 18.8%), and previous dacryocystectomy (n = 1, 6.2%). Anastomoses between the upper and lower canaliculi and the nasal mucosa was performed in 6 patients, while that between the common canaliculus and nasal mucosa was performed in 10. Anatomic and functional success rates were 87.5% (n = 14) and 81.3% (n = 13), respectively.
Conclusion:
Canaliculorhinostomy has reasonable success rates and provides an effective surgical alternative for a group of patients in whom CDCR with Jones tube placement would otherwise have been indicated.
