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.