title: Long-term follow-up of external dacryocystorhinostomy and the factors affecting its success.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the long-term follow-up results of external dacryocystorhinostomy (Ex-DCR) and to assess the role of some factors in its success.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 1990 and November 2002, 437 nasolacrimal systems of 387 patients were operated on and included in the study. The success rates were determined on the basis of the last examinations of the patients, and the correlations between success rates and factors such as age, gender, the duration of obstruction, history of acute dacryocystitis, the side of obstruction, and the postoperative follow-up period were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean follow-up period was 5.9 +/- 2.5 years. Fifty cases (12.9%) were operated bilaterally. The initial success rate was 91.5% and the last success rate was 98.4% after reoperations. We found meaningful correlations between success and duration of obstruction, age of the patient, and the duration of postoperative follow-up (r = 0.18, 0.17 and -0.14, p = 0.036, 0.001 and 0.002, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In comparison to newly developed surgical techniques for the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction, Ex-DCR still appears to offer higher success rates, even after long-term follow-up. In addition to being a cost-effective procedure, it requires no sophisticated instruments. In our opinion, the high success rates may be explained by the nature of the operation, which creates a fistula between the sac and the nasal mucosa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. herdol@meds.ktu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Hidayet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Erdöl
authors.forename: Nurettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akyol
authors.forename: Halil Ibrahim
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Imamoglu
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sözen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003608:Dacryocystorhinostomy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome