The outcomes of 326 external dacryocystorhinostomy operations in children with dacryostenosis - 30-year experience of an oculoplastic surgeon.

Purpose: To report demographic features and surgical outcomes of 320 children undergoing external dacryocystorhinostomy for dacryostenosis. Methods: We performed a retrospective evaluation of the records of patients aged <16 years who underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy. Patient demographic features and success rates of the operations were analyzed from the data records. Children with <12-month follow-up were not enrolled in the study. Results: We identified 326 operative records of 320 children (162[(50.6%] girls and 158 [49.4%] boys) who underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy with a mean follow-up of 26.03 +/- 11.11 months. Overall, we evaluated 116 (35.6%) cases of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Our series demonstrated a 99.4% success rate for external dacryocystorh inostomy. Conclusions: External dacryocystorhinostomy in children has a high success rate if performed by an experienced oculoplastic surgeon.