Dacryocystorhinostomy

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Dacryocystorhinostomy
Gray379.png
Left orbicularis oculi, seen from behind.
ICD-9-CM 09.81
MeSH D003608

Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is a surgical procedure to restore the flow of tears into the nose from the lacrimal sac when the nasolacrimal duct does not function. [1]

Contents

Process

Traditional

A small incision is made on the side of the nose and some bone is removed to make a connection to the nose. Drains are left behind to prevent the gap from becoming closed and are removed after a few months. A Jones or Crawford tube is placed to facilitate the flow of tears from the eye to the nose. The lacrimal sacs must be avoided during this surgical procedure.[ citation needed ]

Endoscopic

The operation can also be performed endoscopically through the nose where an opening is fashioned in the lacrimal sac from within the nose. The advantages include lesser peri-operative morbidity, and no scar. Data suggests a slightly lower success rate than the "traditional" technique.[ citation needed ]

With the advent of nasal endoscopes, endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy is becoming popular. In this procedure, a nasal endoscope is used to visualise the lacrimal sac through the nasal cavity. The bone covering the lacrimal sac is nibbled out. The medial wall of the sac is incised or excised, facilitating drainage of tears into the nasal cavity. This procedure avoids scarring.

Contraindications

Atrophic rhinitis is an absolute contraindication. In case of acute dacryocystitis, this operation can not be done immediately, rather it is done after a period of time. In case of elderly patients (above 70 years of age), dacryocystectomy is preferred to dacryocystorhinostomy as old age naturally causes atrophy in nasal mucosa.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Rhinoplasty

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Lacrimal bone

The lacrimal bone is a small and fragile bone of the facial skeleton; it is roughly the size of the little fingernail. It is situated at the front part of the medial wall of the orbit. It has two surfaces and four borders. Several bony landmarks of the lacrimal bone function in the process of lacrimation or crying. Specifically, the lacrimal bone helps form the nasolacrimal canal necessary for tear translocation. A depression on the anterior inferior portion of the bone, the lacrimal fossa, houses the membranous lacrimal sac. Tears or lacrimal fluid, from the lacrimal glands, collect in this sac during excessive lacrimation. The fluid then flows through the nasolacrimal duct and into the nasopharynx. This drainage results in what is commonly referred to a runny nose during excessive crying or tear production. Injury or fracture of the lacrimal bone can result in posttraumatic obstruction of the lacrimal pathways.

Eye surgery Surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa

Eye surgery, also known as ocular surgery, is surgery performed on the eye or its adnexa, typically by an ophthalmologist. The eye is a very fragile organ, and requires extreme care before, during, and after a surgical procedure to minimise or prevent further damage. An expert eye surgeon is responsible for selecting the appropriate surgical procedure for the patient, and for taking the necessary safety precautions. Mentions of eye surgery can be found in several ancient texts dating back as early as 1800 BC, with cataract treatment starting in the fifth century BC. Today it continues to be a widely practiced type of surgery, with various techniques having been developed for treating eye problems.

Septoplasty

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Nasolacrimal duct Carries tears from the lacrimal sac of the eye into the nasal cavity.

The nasolacrimal duct carries tears from the lacrimal sac of the eye into the nasal cavity. The duct begins in the eye socket between the maxillary and lacrimal bones, from where it passes downwards and backwards. The opening of the nasolacrimal duct into the inferior nasal meatus of the nasal cavity is partially covered by a mucosal fold.

Lacrimal gland Exocrine gland, one for each eye, that secrete tears

The lacrimal glands are paired exocrine glands, one for each eye, found in most terrestrial vertebrates and some marine mammals, that secrete the aqueous layer of the tear film. In humans, they are situated in the upper lateral region of each orbit, in the lacrimal fossa of the orbit formed by the frontal bone. Inflammation of the lacrimal glands is called dacryoadenitis. The lacrimal gland produces tears which are secreted by the lacrimal ducts, and flow over the ocular surface, and then into canals that connect to the lacrimal sac. From that sac, the tears drain through the lacrimal duct into the nose.

Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty is the plastic surgery operation for correcting defects, deformities, and disfigurations of the eyelids; and for aesthetically modifying the eye region of the face. With the excision and the removal, or the repositioning of excess tissues, such as skin and adipocyte fat, and the reinforcement of the corresponding muscle and tendon tissues, the blepharoplasty procedure resolves functional and cosmetic problems of the periorbita, which is the area from the eyebrow to the upper portion of the cheek. The procedure is more common among women, who accounted for approximately 85% of blepharoplasty procedures in 2014 in the US and 88% of such procedures in the UK.

Orbicularis oculi muscle

The orbicularis oculi is a muscle in the face that closes the eyelids. It arises from the nasal part of the frontal bone, from the frontal process of the maxilla in front of the lacrimal groove, and from the anterior surface and borders of a short fibrous band, the medial palpebral ligament.

Lacrimal sac Upper, dilated end of the nasolacrimal duct

The lacrimal sac or lachrymal sac is the upper dilated end of the nasolacrimal duct, and is lodged in a deep groove formed by the lacrimal bone and frontal process of the maxilla. It connects the lacrimal canaliculi, which drain tears from the eye's surface, and the nasolacrimal duct, which conveys this fluid into the nasal cavity. Lacrimal sac occlusion leads to dacryocystitis.

Chronic atrophic rhinitis, or simply atrophic rhinitis, is a chronic inflammation of the nose characterised by atrophy of nasal mucosa, including the glands, turbinate bones and the nerve elements supplying the nose. Chronic atrophic rhinitis may be primary and secondary. Special forms of chronic atrophic rhinitis are rhinitis sicca anterior and ozaena. It can also be described as the empty nose syndrome.

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Nasal cartilages

The nasal cartilages are structures within the nose that provide form and support to the nasal cavity. The nasal cartilages are made up of a flexible material called hyaline cartilage in the distal portion of the nose. There are five individual cartilages that make up the nasal cavity: septal nasal cartilage, lateral nasal cartilage, major alar cartilage, minor alar cartilage, and vomeronasal cartilage.

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Human nose Feature of the face

The human nose is the most protruding part of the face. It bears the nostrils and is the first organ of the respiratory system. It is also the principal organ in the olfactory system. The shape of the nose is determined by the nasal bones and the nasal cartilages, including the nasal septum which separates the nostrils and divides the nasal cavity into two. On average the nose of a male is larger than that of a female.

Epiphora (medicine) Medical condition

Epiphora is an overflow of tears onto the face, other than caused by normal crying. It is a clinical sign or condition that constitutes insufficient tear film drainage from the eyes, in that tears will drain down the face rather than through the nasolacrimal system.

Transsphenoidal surgery is a type of surgery in which an endoscope or surgical instruments are inserted into part of the brain by going through the nose and the sphenoid bone into the sphenoidal sinus cavity. Transsphenoidal surgery is used to remove tumors of the pituitary gland..

Dacryocystocele Medical condition

Dacryocystocele (Dacryocystitis) or timo cyst is a benign, bluish-gray mass in the inferomedial canthus that develops within a few days or weeks after birth. The uncommon condition forms as a result as a consequence of narrowing or obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct, usually during prenatal development. Nasolacrimal duct obstruction disrupts the lacrimal drainage system, eventually creating a swelling cyst in the lacrimal sac area by the nasal cavity. The location of the cyst can cause respiratory dysfunction, compromising the airway. The obstruction ultimately leads to epiphora, an abundance of tear production.

Nasolacrimal duct obstruction Medical condition

Nasolacrimal duct obstruction is the obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct and may be either congenital or acquired. Obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct leads to the excess overflow of tears called epiphora.

Endoscopic endonasal surgery is a minimally invasive technique used mainly in neurosurgery and otolaryngology. A neurosurgeon or an otolaryngologist, using an endoscope that is entered through the nose, fixes or removes brain defects or tumors in the anterior skull base. Normally an otolaryngologist performs the initial stage of surgery through the nasal cavity and sphenoid bone; a neurosurgeon performs the rest of the surgery involving drilling into any cavities containing a neural organ such as the pituitary gland. The use of endoscope was first introduced in Transsphenoidal Pituitary Surgery by Gamea, El-Guindy and Fathi in 1994.

References

  1. Ullrich, Katja; Malhotra, Raman; Patel, Bhupendra C. (2021). "Dacryocystorhinostomy". StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved 7 January 2022.