[Critical study of dacryorrhinostomy (author's transl)]

Dacryorrhinostomy is a last-chance operation for severe palpebral and canalicular damage which can lead to loss of tissue. The reconstruction of a delicate tube remains a gamble because of the absence of normal structures. The multiplicity of the procedures proposed clearly demonstrates the difficulty in obtaining a functional result. The excellent results obtained with this procedure incited the authors to prolong their study and increase the number of cases in order to confirm the validity of their findings in a large series.