outcomes of bicanalicular silicone intubation for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction

purpose: to evaluate the success rate of bicanalicular silicone tube intubation in children with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (cnldo). methods: hospital records of 71 cases of bicanalicular silicone intubation in 62 children with cnldo were reviewed. success was defined as resolution of symptoms and signs such as epiphora and discharge 6 months after removal of the silicone tube. results: mean age was 3.64±1.8 (range 1.4-9.5) years. mean duration of intubation was 6.0±4.8 (range 1-30) months. the overall success rate was 85.9% including 87.5% for primary and 84.2% for secondary procedures. there was no significant change in success rate of primary (p= 0.09) or secondary (p= 0.13) procedures with increasing age. intubation duration greater than 6 months was not associated with increasing success rate (p=0.51). pre-planned removal of tubes (<3 months) because of dislodgement occurred in 4 eyes (5.6%) but had no significant effect on success rate (p=0.09). conclusion: bicanalicular silicone intubation is an effective treatment for children with cnldo at any age. duration of intubation greater than 6 months does not improve the success rate. pre-planned removal of the tube (<3 months) because of dislodgement is the most common complication but does not seem to increase the risk of failure.