Outcome of Primary Monocanalicular Stent Placement in Pediatric Down Syndrome Patients with Congenital Nasolacrimal Obstruction.

PURPOSE: Congenital Nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) is a relatively common problem in children with Down syndrome (DS). Probing and irrigation (PI) with monocanalicular stent intubation may be less successful than in non-DS patients, thus raising some concerns regarding the preferred treatment in this population. We aimed to analyze the surgical outcome of PI along with monocanalicular stent intubation in children with DS compared with non-DS patients. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Thirty-five eyes of 19 children with DS and 1,472 eyes of 1,001 children without DS underwent PI-monocanalicular stent intubation as a primary treatment for CNLDO. All patients were operated on by a single surgeon at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia between 2009 and 2020. The main outcome measure was a surgical success, defined as the resolution of symptoms after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 1,020 patients were included, 48% females; mean age of 1.9 ± 1.4 years. The mean follow-up time was 35.0 months. The DS patients group consisted of 19 patients. Higher rates of right nasolacrimal duct obstruction and bilateral obstructions were observed in the DS group (100% vs. 73.2%; p = 0.006, and 84.2% vs. 46.8%; p = 0.001, respectively). Patients with DS had a lower success rate (57.1% vs. 92.4%; p < 0 .0001). The median time to failure was 3.1 months in the DS group, and 5.2 months in the group of patients without DS. The hazard ratio comparing DS to the no-DS outcome was 6.6 (95% CI: 3.2-13.7; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CNLDO in DS is more likely to be bilateral and less likely to resolve after primary monocanalicular stent placement.

Primary Monocanalicular Stent Intubation for Children With Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction: Surgical Outcome and Risk Factors.

PURPOSE: To determine the risk factors impacting the surgical success of primary monocanalicular stent intubation for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO). METHODS: This is a retrospective interventional case series of patients 18 years and younger treated more than a 12-year period with monocanalicular stent intubation with inferior turbinate fracture for CNLDO by a single surgeon. Patients with dacryocystoceles, dacryocystitis, Down syndrome and previous tear duct surgery were excluded. An intraoperative grading scale of tear duct stenosis, date of stent removal, stent length, and postoperative symptoms were recorded. Surgical success was defined as the complete resolution of symptoms. RESULTS: One thousand four hundred sixty-nine stents were placed in 1,001 pediatric participants (533 unilateral, 468 bilateral). The mean age at surgery was 1.86 years (0.1-18.07). The mean follow up was 34.99 months (0.43-134.3) with mean in-office stent removal at 3.41 months (0.63-36.9). Early stent loss occurred in 14.8% intubations (217/1,469). The overall success rate was 92.4% (1,357/1,469 eyes). Subjects less than the age of 4 years had a success rate of 92.8% (1,296/1,397) compared with 84.7% (61/72) in children more than 4. In multivariable analysis, bilateral surgery, severe tear duct stenosis, and early stent loss were significantly associated with higher risk of surgical failure. CONCLUSIONS: Severe tear duct stenosis, early stent loss, and bilateral surgery were significant risk factors for surgical failure. While the success rate stratified by age at surgery suggested a lower success after the age of 4. Primary monocanalicular stent intubation is an effective and safe treatment for CNLDO sparing a child the need for multiple staged surgeries.