Complications of Endoscopic and Conventional Dacryocystorhinostomy (External) in Chronic Dacryocystitis

Abstract

Objectives:

Describe the complications of endoscopic and conventional dacryocystorhinostomy (external) in chronic dacryocystitis (CDC) in a public hospital.

Methods:

Case series. We evaluated 39 patients who were treated surgically of CDC by endoscopic or conventional dacryocystorhinostomy between January 2006 and December 2011 at the Arzobispo Loayza National Hospital, Lima,Peru. We evaluated the complications associated with the treatment received.

Results:

Of the 39cases, 29 (74.4%) were women, and the average age was 54.9 years. The mean disease duration was 29.7 months. The affected side was the right in 59%, and the most common symptom was epiphora (84.6%), followed by secretion (7.7%) and tumor (5.1%). 56.4% of the surgeries were made by conventional technique. The most common complication was the post-surgical removal of the probe in 4 patients, 3 (7.7%) by the conventional and 1 (2.5%) by the endoscopical technique. Other complications were reocclusion (5.2%), abscess (2.6%), and epistaxis (2.6%), all for the conventional technique. By the endoscopical technique, just the infection (5.2%) and synechiae (2.6%).

Conclusions:

Complications associated with the conventional technique were expulsion of the probe (7.7%), reocclusion (5.2%), abscess (2.6%), and epistaxis (2.6%), while complications with the endoscopic technique were removal of the probe (2.5 %), infection (5.2%), and synechiae (2.6%).