Comparison of Results of Primary Endoscopic Dacryocystorhinostomy With and Without Silicon Stent Placement: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLD) causes continuous epiphora. NLD is mainly treated by dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). There are different opinions about the use of silicone stents in studies. Some support it, but others do not recommend it due to side effects. This study was done to evaluate and compare the results of endoscopic DCR with and without silicone stenting. In this randomized clinical trial study, a total of 66 patients with NLD obstruction were enrolled and were randomly assigned to two groups: Group A underwent the DCR without silicone stent while Group B underwent the DCR with stent. Two groups were compared in terms of success rate and incidence of complications. twenty-one men and forty- five women participated in this study, and the two groups did not have a statistically significant difference ( = 0.42). The average age in group A was 52.63 ± 12.66 years and in group B was 57.60 ± 14.51 years, which had no significant difference ( = 0.14). The overall success rate after twelve months was 96.8% and 96.7% in groups A and, B respectively. However, there was no significant statistical difference between the two groups ( = 0.98). The incidence of complications in the two groups was low. At 12 months postoperatively, 3 (6.66%) out of 66 patients had complications. The use of silicone stents does not affect the results of endoscopic DCR. Complications and success rates were similar in the two groups, DCR with a stent was not superior to without a stent.