The Role of Dacryocystography in Evaluation of Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction.

Purpose: To investigate the configuration of the lacrimal sac and its clinical significance in patients who underwent dacryocystorhinostomy. Methods: The subject of this study were 132 eyes of 109 patients who were diagnosed as having nasolacrimal duct obstruction and who underwent surgical therapy from 2001 to 2005. According to the size of the lacrimal sac, eyes were divided into a common canalicular obstruction group, a small sac group, and a large sac group. The relationship between the sac size and clinical characteristics of the patients was evaluated. Results: There were 27 male and 82 female patients with a mean age of 53.6 years. The common canalicular obstruction group included 17 eyes, the small sac group 79 eyes, and the large sac group 36 eyes. The proportion of female patients (p=0.042) and mean age (p=0.029) were higher in the small sac group, compared with the large sac group. Patients in the large sac group had favorable surgical outcomes (p=0.001). Conclusions: Dacryocystography is a useful method to assess the lacrimal drainage system. We found a relationship between the sac size and clinical characteristics of nasolacrimal duct obstruction patients. Further pathophysiologic studies on the mechanism of contraction of the lacrimal sac are needed.