[Development of idiopathic dacryostenosis (clinical and pathologico-anatomical findings)]

The authors describe microsurgical appearances of tear-sac and nasal mucous membranes from 45 patients suffering from dacryostenosis without clinically manifest nose or sinus conditions. In addition the observations of Henle (1865), that described the continuation of expandible conchal mucous membrane up to the lower part of the tear duct were controlled. The observations gave the following results: 1. In all cases of dacryostenosis there was a past history of more or less severe acute or chronic inflammation of the nasal and tear-duct mucous membrane. 2. The submucose of the ductus naso-lacrimalis surrounded by bone contains arterioles with sphincters and cavernous vessel complexes which can cause swelling up to displacement of the canal lumen, according to the blood flow. The results support the hypothesis of the authors that "idiopathic" dacryostenosis is caused by ascending inflammations from the region of the nose and sinus cavities, which can be clinically quite inconspicuous.