Evaluation of lacrimal obstruction secondary to facial fractures using computed tomography or computed tomographic dacryocystography.

Facial fractures that result in lacrimal drainage obstruction may add complexities to lacrimal surgery. The role of preoperative assessment of lacrimal obstruction after facial fractures using computed tomography (CT) or CT dacryocystography was assessed in this study. Consecutive patients (n = 13) with symptomatic lacrimal obstruction after facial fractures underwent radiologic evaluation prior to lacrimal surgery. The first three patients underwent CT alone. The subsequent 10 patients underwent CT dacryocystography, in which radio-opaque dye was instilled into the lacrimal sac prior to CT. Radiographic findings pertinent to surgical management were present in 11 of the 13 patients and included alterations in bony anatomy, plates or wires adjacent to the lacrimal sac, nasal septal deviation, sinusitis, anterior ethmoid air cells, and anteriorly located middle turbinates. CT or CT dacryocystography prior to lacrimal surgery in patients with previous facial fractures may facilitate preoperative planning and intraoperative execution. It is recommended that the cost of these studies be minimized by adherence to streamlined protocols widely used in sinus CT.