VALUE OF DACRYOCYSTOGRAPHY IN THE PREOPER ATIVE DIAGNOSIS OF LACRIMALPASSAGE OBSTRUCTION

Purpose: Evaluation of dacryocystography in the preoperative localisat ion of stenosis of the lacrimal passage. Method: The lacrimal system o f 20 patients (25 eyes) suffering from lacrimal passage obstruction wa s examined either by conventional (n=20) or by digital (n=5) technique . Diagnostic imaging was evaluated concerning topographic information of the pathologic lacrimal system, localisation of the level and diffe rential diagnosis of the cause of the obstruction. Results: Cause of t he obstruction was chronic dacryocystitis (n=16), dacryolithiasis (n=1 ), atresia of the lacrimal duct (n=2), posttraumatic lesions (n=3), rh inosinusitis (n=1) and carcinoma of the maxillar sinus (n=1). In 23 of 25 cases (92%) we found an exact correlation between dacryocystograph y and the intraoperative findings. The variation of stenosis types as well as different examination techniques are presented and compared wi th literature findings. Conclusion: Dacryocystography is a valuable me thod in the diagnosis and preoperative planing in lacrimal system obst ruction.