Minimally invasive bypass surgery for nasolacrimal duct obstruction: Transcanalicular laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy

Background: In recent years, the minimally invasive surgical procedure of transcanalicular laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy (TKL-DCR) has gained importance in the treatment of primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstructions (PANDO). Objectives: Surgical indications, functional success rates, potential advantages, and complications of TKL-DCR are presented and compared with the standard procedures external (EXT-DCR) and endonasal DCR (EN-DCR). Methods: The study comprises a PubMed literature review and our own clinical results. Results: Using TKL-DCR either as the primary surgical treatment for PANDO, or as a secondary procedure following failure (reobstruction of the surgical ostium) of previous EXT-DCR resulted in good functional success rates (60–90%). The duration of surgery (10–15 min) and the period of recovery are significantly shorter than in EXT-DCR. Visible cutaneous scars and significant postoperative nose bleeding are not among the complications of TKL-DCR, due to the lack of a skin incision and the coagulative ability of the diode laser. The smaller sized surgical ostium has been considered the main disadvantage of TKL-DCR, since it might be prone to earlier reobstruction. On the other hand, TKL-DCR spares the anatomical structures that form the physiological tear pump, which should favor tear drainage. In very few cases, thermal damage to the canaliculus has been observed as a complication. Conclusions: Given the satisfying functional results, TKL-DCR is a valid alternative to the “gold standard” procedure EXT-DCR, especially in patients who particularly request speedy recovery and who do not want to take the risk of visible skin scaring. Future studies will have to investigate whether the smaller surgical ostia of TKL-DCR remain patent and whether functional success rates decrease during a longer follow-up period of >2 years. © 2017, Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH.