Air reflux following endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy

Authors

  • Karen KW Chan Hospital Authority, Hong Kong SAR, China.
  • Tommy CY Chan Department of Ophthalmology, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.
  • Emmy YM Li Department of Ophthalmology, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.
  • Hunter KL Yuen Department of Ophthalmology, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of air reflux following endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy and determine its association with symptomatic control following surgery.

Methods: Questionnaire assessment was performed for adult patients 1 year following primary endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy for nasolacrimal duct obstruction at the Hong Kong Eye Hospital.

Results: 43 patients were included. Overall, 97.7% of patients reported improved symptoms after endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. Air reflux was present in 14 patients (32.6%), with 78.6% noting moderate-to-severe symptoms, although the majority (71.4%) did not consider it a nuisance. All patients with air reflux noted symptomatic improvement. There was no significant difference in symptom improvement between patients with and without air reflux (p = 1.000). Air reflux was found to have a high specificity (100%) but poor sensitivity (33%) in reflecting symptom control, and had a positive predictive value of 100% and negative predictive value of 3.4%.

Conclusion: The presence of air reflux did not reflect the success of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy in managing symptomatic nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Nonetheless its presence was well tolerated and can be reassuring to patients as it indicates lacrimal drainage patency.

Downloads

Published

2016-04-20

How to Cite

1.
Chan KK, Chan TC, Li EY, Yuen HK. Air reflux following endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. Hong Kong J Ophthalmol [Internet]. 2016Apr.20 [cited 2025Apr.26];20(1):29-33. Available from: https://hkjo.hk/index.php/hkjo/article/view/195

Issue

Section

Original Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>