Purpose: To analyze the postoperative complications of conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy with low-density polyethylene tube and the possible correlations between the various etiologies and complications and surgical success rate. Methods: The study was carried out on 35 lacrimal apparatus of 34 patients who were submitted to conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy with low-density polyethylene tube during a six-year period, from August 1991 to November 1997. With the aim of studying the possible correlations between the findings (etiology x complications and etiology x success rate) exact Fisher's test was carried out. Results: The most important etiologies were chronic dacryocystitis and failure of dacryocystorhinostomy (53.9%) followed by traumatisms (16.3%). The complication rate was 74.3%. The surgical success rate in one intervention was 25.7%. After two or more surgeries, 17 tubes became pervious and well-located (48.6%). Unsuccessful procedures occurred in 25.7% of the lacrimal apparatus. There was no significant correlation between etiology and complication occurrence neither between etiology and surgical success. Conclusions: There is no difference between complications and success in this study and those reported in the international literature. These findings were not correlated with the obstruction etiology. The advantages of low-density polyethylene tube are its great availability, the easy manufacture in the intraoperative period according to the lenght and width needs of and, finally, it can be exchanged for borosilicate glass when the edema regress.
Lacrimal duct obstruction; Prosthesis implantation; Dacryocystorhinostomy; Postoperative complications; Polyethylene; Treatment outcome
