[Intubation granulomas of the lacrimal ducts in patients with silicone implants]

The results of 315 endonasal operations on the lacrimal duct with long intubation are analyzed. The most incident complication of long intubation of the lacrimal duct is formation of intubation granulomas, which are most often localized in the inferior lacrimal canaliculus; their etiology is sometimes allergic--they form as a response of adjacent tissues to the material of the intubation tube, and the findings of our recent histological study prove it. The diagnosis of intubation granulomas is easy in the majority of cases. The treatment consists in removal and obligatory adequate total and local antiallergic therapy decelerating the growth and relapses of granulomas. After removal of the intubation tube the growth of granulations ceases and a fine cicatrix forms.