The necessity of silicone stenting in endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) procedures is a controversial subject in the literature. Endoscopic DCR is a safe and successful procedure for the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. There are conflicts in results of studies that claim that there is or is not any significant difference in the success rates in performing endonasal DCR with silicone stenting or without stenting.
The purpose of the present study is to assess the long-term anatomical and functional outcomes of endoscopic-powered DCR (EP-DCR) without stenting or mucosal flaps.
One hundred twenty EP-DCR procedures were performed in 107 patients. Anatomical success was defined as a patent ostium on irrigation, and operational success was the free flow of dye from the ostium and the epiphora’s resolution.
The mean follow-up was 46.5 months (range: 24–87). Of the 120 procedures, 13 were bilateral, and 94 were unilateral. Anatomical and functional success rates of 92.5% were obtained.
The study concluded that EP-DCR without stenting is a safe and economical technique that provides satisfactory long-term results and could be considered the treatment of choice for patients with postsaccal nasolacrimal duct obstruction.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892418773638
