title: Long-term patient satisfaction of external dacryocystorhinostomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate patient's opinion on the long-term success of external dacryocystorhinostomy using the same quantitative parameter pre- and postoperatively.
  
  
  METHODS
  A postal questionnaire was sent to 139 patients who had undergone external dacryocystorhinostomy. The only parameter for success of the treatment was the improvement of patient's subjective pre- and postoperative symptoms score. The duration of this follow-up ranged from 1 year up to 5 years postoperatively. Statistical analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test and the chi2 test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to the patient's own evaluation, external dacryocystorhinostomy is a successful operation. After 1 year the success percentage was 89%, after 2-3 years it was 79% and after 4-5 years it was 71%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  External dacryocystorhinostomy is appreciated by the patients and considered a successful operation. The subjective evaluation of this operation should yield more creditability than objective methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Academic Hospital, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. k.mansour@ohk.azg.nl
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sere
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Oey
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bruin
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Blanksma
mesh_terms: 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; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009302:Nasopharyngeal Diseases; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome