eMedicine Specialties > Ophthalmology > Lacrimal System
Nasolacrimal Duct, Congenital Anomalies: Follow-up
Updated: Jun 8, 2009
Follow-up
Further Outpatient Care
- Patients should receive follow-up care as needed.
Complications
- Bleeding: Serious bleeding is rare, occurring in only 1-2% of surgeries or postoperatively.
- Surgical failures: In these complicated conditions, a 10% rate of failure occurs.
- Wound infections: These occur in 5-10% of patients, usually as wound abscesses on the fourth postoperative day.
- Silicone or polyethylene tubing complications: These complications occur in about 15% of cases and include the following: corneal abrasion, pyogenic granuloma, low-grade infection, chronic nasal irritation and congestion, epistaxis, sinusitis, and pharyngitis.
- Bypass tube complications: These frequently occur in at least 40% of patients postoperatively and include tube loss or migration and tube obstruction.
- Anesthesia complications: In children, these complications are more frequent due to drugs, blood loss, malignant hyperthermia, and pseudocholinesterase deficiency.
Prognosis
- Overall prognosis is excellent. More than 90% of children with these developmental anomalies have improved subjective tearing postoperatively.
Miscellaneous
Medicolegal Pitfalls
- Missing serious associated anomalies, especially congenital glaucoma
Special Concerns
- Patients with congenital punctal agenesis of both puncti almost always (>90%) have associated canalicular agenesis and, as a result, require conjunctival dacryocystorhinostomy usually delayed until 10 years.
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Follow-up: Nasolacrimal Duct, Congenital Anomalies |
| References |
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References
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Further Reading
Keywords
nasolacrimal duct obstruction, nasolacrimal duct system, congenital nasolacrimal duct anomalies, nasolacrimal duct system abnormalities
Follow-up: Nasolacrimal Duct, Congenital Anomalies