Primary probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction with manually curved Bowman probes

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of the shape of Bowman probes on the success of primary probing for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of 42 nasolacrimal duct obstructions in 37 children who underwent probing with straight Bowman probes (group A) and 128 nasolacrimal duct obstructions in 110 children who underwent probing with Bowman probes manually bent to mimic the natural curve of the bony nasolacrimal pathway (group B) were evaluated and compared. All children were under 2 years of age. The main outcome was successful probing. Successful probing was defined as a complete resolution of signs and symptoms. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 16.4 ± 4.1 months (range 8-24 months) in group A and 16.8 ± 4.2 months (range 7-24 months) in group B. No canalicular or nasolacrimal sac pathologies were diagnosed during probing. The success rate was 76.2% (32/42) in group A and 91.4% (117/128) in group B. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Manually curved probes can be used efficiently during probing and increase the success rates.