PROBING OUTCOMES FOR CONGENITAL NASOLACRIMAL DUCT OBSTRUCTION IN DUHOK CITY

Abstract

Background: Epiphora is generally a common disorder in children particularly in infants; congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) is one of the most frequent causes of epiphora of newborns which symptoms start immediately or within first 2-3 week after birth as tearing and/or discharge of one or both eyes. Aim: To report the success rate of probing and irrigation for children with CNLDO of different ages. Methods and Materials: This is retrospective observational comparative study, which was held in Duhok eye hospital, 241 eyes from 209 children from with age range from 6 months to 9 years age, diagnosed as CNLDO included , probing and irrigation done under general anesthesia, according to age, the children were arranged into 4 groups, group I from 6 – 9 months, group II from 9 – 12 months, group III from 1 – 3 years and finally group IV from 3 – 9 years, mean age was 1.8 years. Results: From 209 children 109 were females and 100 were male. 177 children have unilateral CNLDO and 32 children were having bilaterally obstructed nasolacrimal passage. The success rate was as follows; group 1 (94.6%), group 2 (89.3%), group 3 (81.6%) and group 4 (72.9%). And was defined as a complete resolution tearing and discharge. Conclusion: Probing is the first surgical intervention for CNLDO not resolving with conservative treatment, despite the decrease in the success rate with increasing age it worthwhile to be the first procedure attempted to open the obstructed duct before proceeding to a more invasive procedure.