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Analysis of SmartPlug Insertion-Related Complications
Chien-Jung Huang1, Chia-Ju Lu, Wen-Hui Tu
1Department of Ophthalmology (C.-J.H., C.-J.L., W.-H.T., Y.-C.H., I.-J.W., F.-R.H., W.-L.C.), National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; and Center of Corneal Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Biology (F.-R.H., W.-L.C.), National Taiwan University Hospital.
Purpose:
To evaluate the complications and the treatment results of SmartPlug-related complications.
Methods:
Retrospective review of all patients from a single medical hospital who received SmartPlug (Medennium, Inc., Irvine, CA) insertions from October 2007 to February 2014. All patients who developed SmartPlug-related canaliculitis and pyogenic granuloma were analyzed. Lacrimal irrigation with antibiotics was performed in most patients.
Results:
Six hundred thirty-one eyes received SmartPlug insertion and 18 eyes developed SmartPlug-related complications (14 canaliculitis and 4 pyogenic granuloma). The mean time interval from insertion to development of the complications is 3.0 (0.5-6.9) years. Sixteen eyes received lacrimal irrigation with antibiotics, and all the eyes showed improvement without recurrence. The other two eyes had recurrence of granuloma pyogenica only after surgical excision.
Conclusions:
SmartPlug-related complications, including canaliculitis and granuloma pyogenica, required long-term follow-up. Most of the complications can be cured by lacrimal irrigation of antibiotics.
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