Dacryocystorhinostomy in south west England.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the pre-operative management, surgical technique employed, success rate and patient satisfaction following surgery in patients undergoing dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) in South West England.


METHODS
Two hundred and forty-two patients who underwent DCR were retrospectively studied. A telephone questionnaire was used to assess patient satisfaction in 100 patients.


RESULTS
One hundred and thirteen (46%) patients had nasolacrimal duct obstruction, half of whom had a history of dacryocystitis, 70 (29%) had canalicular obstruction and 8 (3%) had mixed blockage. The site of blockage was not known or recorded in 51 patients (22%). Seventy-five (31%) patients underwent DCR, 151 (62%) DCR with insertion of silicon tubes, 9 (4%) DCR and Lester Jones tube, and 7 (3%) canaliculodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR). Overall an 83.5% success rate was reported by the surgeons. The success rate for patients with a history of dacryocystitis was 98%, for nasolacrimal duct obstruction 96% and for canalicular obstruction 82%. When the site of blockage was not known or recorded the success rate was 60%. Where the name of the surgeon was not recorded there was a 15% successful outcome. Eighty per cent of patients reported some improvement in their symptoms following surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
DCR is an effective surgical procedure with a high rate of patient satisfaction. Pre-operative identification of the site of the blockage is likely to improve surgical outcome.
Department of Ophthalmology, West of England Eye Unit, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, UK.
B
B
Beigi
W
W
Westlake
B
B
Chang
C
C
Marsh
J
J
Jacob
J
J
Chatfield
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003608:Dacryocystorhinostomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007767:Lacrimal Duct Obstruction / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome