Primary treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction with probing in children younger than 4 years.

OBJECTIVE: To report the outcome of nasolacrimal duct probing as the primary treatment of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) in children younger than 4 years. DESIGN: Prospective nonrandomized observational multicenter study (44 sites). PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred fifty-five eyes of 718 children 6 to <48 months old at the time of surgery with no prior nasolacrimal surgical procedure and with at least one of the following clinical signs of NLDO present: epiphora, mucous discharge, and increased tear lake. INTERVENTION: Probing of the nasolacrimal system of the affected eye. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Treatment success was defined as no epiphora, mucous discharge, or increased tear lake present at the outcome visit 1 month after surgery. RESULTS: Proportions of eyes treated successfully were 78% (95% confidence interval [CI], 75%-81%) overall, 78% for the 421 eyes in children 6 to <12 months old, 79% for the 421 eyes in children 12 to <24 months, 79% for the 37 eyes in children 24 to <36 months, and 56% for the 11 eyes in children 36 to <48 months. The probability of treatment success was lower in eyes operated in an office setting than in eyes operated in a surgical facility (adjusted relative risk, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.80-0.96]), with success reported in 72% (95% CI, 66%-78%) of probings performed in an office and 80% (95% CI, 77%-84%) of probings performed in a facility. The probability of treatment success was also lower in eyes of patients with bilateral disease (adjusted relative risk, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.81-0.95]). CONCLUSIONS: In children 6 to <36 months old, probing is a successful primary treatment of NLDO in about three fourths of cases, with no decline in treatment success with increasing age. The study enrolled too few children ages 36 to <48 months to allow a conclusion regarding the probability of treatment success in this age group.

Office probing for treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction in infants.

PURPOSE: To determine whether demographic or clinical factors are associated with the outcome of office-based nasolacrimal duct probing for the treatment of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO). METHODS: In two multicenter prospective studies, 384 eyes of 304 children aged 6 to <15 months with NLDO underwent a nasolacrimal duct probing performed in the office using topical anesthesia. Treatment success, defined as no clinical signs of NLDO (epiphora, increased tear lake, or mucous discharge) and no reoperation, was assessed 1 month after probing in one study and 6 months after probing in the other study. Data from both studies were pooled to evaluate associations between baseline characteristics and treatment success. RESULTS: Office probing was successful in 75% of eyes overall (95% CI, 70%-80%). The procedure was less successful in eyes of children with bilateral NLDO compared with unilateral NLDO (63% vs 80%; relative risk = 0.78 [95% CI, 0.66-0.92]) and in eyes that had 2 or 3 clinical signs of NLDO compared with one (71% vs 83%; relative risk = 0.88 [95% CI, 0.81-0.96]). Treatment success did not appear to be related to age, specific clinical signs of NLDO, prior treatment, or research study. CONCLUSIONS: Performing nasolacrimal duct probing in the office successfully treats NLDO in the majority of cases in children aged 6 to <15 months. The success rate is lower with bilateral disease or when more than one clinical sign of NLDO is present.