Success Rate of Probing for Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction at Various Ages

PURPOSE To determine the success rate of probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) in various age groups. METHODS One hundred children (118 eyes) aged 4 to 48 months diagnosed with CNLDO were included and divided into 6 groups; group 1: infants 4-6 months of age, group 2: infants from 7 to 12 months, group 3: toddlers 13-18 months of age, group 4: older toddlers 19-24 months old, group 5: children from 25 to 36 months, and group 6: children 37-48 months of age. Probing was performed under general anesthesia in all subjects. All patients were followed at regular intervals up to 6 months postoperatively. Successful probing was documented as complete remission of symptoms 2 weeks following the procedure. RESULTS The success rate of probing was 100% (2 eyes) in group 1, 94% (47 eyes) in group 2, 84.4% (27 eyes) in group 3, 83.3% (15 eyes) in group 4, 61.5% (8 eyes) in group 5 and 33.3% (1 eye) in group 6; the overall success rate was 84.7% (100 eyes). The majority of eyes, 87.3% (103 eyes), had membranous obstruction while 12.7% (15 eyes) had firm obstruction. The success rate was 92.2% (95 eyes) in eyes with membranous obstruction and 33.3% (5 eyes) in those with firm obstruction. CONCLUSION Probing of the nasolacrimal duct under general anesthesia is a safe and viable option as a primary treatment modality for CNLDO. The success rate decreases with increasing age; membranous obstruction resolves in the majority of cases whereas firm obstruction has a poorer outcome.