An alternative method of canalicular stent tube placement in lacrimal drainage surgery

Certain situations in lacrimal drainage surgery require stent tubing: in a dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) when flap anastomosis or clearance of the common internal punctum is problematic; when a common canalicular obstruction indicates a DCR and common internal punctoplasty; when a lateral common canalicular or individual canalicular obstruction indicates a canaliculodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR); in cases involving a totally obliterated canaliculus and when intubating the patent canaliculus in conjunction with a DCR or CDCR. We describe a simple and effective technique of tube placement, using silastic tubing which involves placing a silastic sleeve under direct visualization for precise tube fixation. This method has been employed successfully in 379 cases from a 5-year series of over 1,000 lacrimal drainage operations.