Treatment of Common Canalicular Obstruction Using Lacrimal Trephine

ABSTRACT

Conjunctivodacryocystorhinostom.y using Jones tube has been the treatment of choice for patients with epiphora due to common canalicular obstruction. But this procedure carries a lot of disadvantages including external scar formation and many complications result from general anesthesia, and necessity of permanent prosthesis and long-term follow-up. So authors have used a new instrument, the lacrimal trephine designed for creating an opening through 8 distally occluded lacrimal canaliculus to treat the common canalicular obstruction. From June 1996 to December 1996, we performed 8 lacrirnal trephination with silicone tube insertion in five patients diagnosed as common canalicu-lar obstruction. All of them have achieved the anatomical success and four of thein have shown clinical success.