Epiphora and Dacryocystitis After Transcanalicular Laser-assisted Dacryocystorhinostomy due to an Undiagnosed Dacryolith

Abstract

A 45-year-old female patient who had previously undergone endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EN-DCR) at another surgical center was diagnosed with functional failure after DCR and underwent an uneventful transcanalicular laser-assisted DCR (TCL-DCR). After 5 months, the patient underwent endoscopic examination due to persistent epiphora and dacryocystitis attacks. Endonasal visualization revealed a large dacryolith that filled the ostium and sac and was removed en bloc mechanically with forceps. Carbonized material on the dacryolith's superior part indicated that it was perforated through-and-through by the laser beam during TCL-DCR. The patient's complaints were resolved completely following the removal of the dacryolith. The transcanalicular lacrimal procedures do not allow complete visualization of the contents of the lacrimal sac, and the laser beam can ablate even an undetected dacryolith and may result in unsuccessful DCR, although the surgical course may look completely uneventful.