External versus Endonasal Dacryocystorhinostomy: A Comparative Study

Introduction: In past years, external dacryocystorhinostomy has been considered the gold standard in terms of functional outcome for treatment for nasolacrimal duct obstruction. In comparison, interest in the use of the recently developed endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy procedure has been rekindled because of advances in instrumentation. Materials and Methods: This clinical study was conducted at the Department of ENT, KBN Medical College and Department of Opthalmology, MR Medical College, Kalaburagi during the period between June 2015 and November 2015. Results: A total of 50 patients were included in the study which were respectively selected by the authors for the procedure. 30 patients (60%) underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy and the remaining 20 (40%) underwent endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy. Conclusion: However, there is not much to compare between the two approaches as far as a primary surgery is concerned in terms of success rate as both of them give equally good results in good hands.