Interventional radiology in the lacrimal drainage system

Non-contrast MR dacryocystography for the evaluation of epiphora and recurrent dacryocystitis: A preliminary study

INTRODUCTION

Obstruction of the lacrimal drainage represents a common ophthalmologic issue. The blockage may interest any level of the lacrimal drainage pathway, and it is important to find the site of obstruction to plan the most appropriate treatment. In this study, findings from magnetic resonance (MR) dacryocystography were compared with findings from endoscopic and surgical procedures to evaluate the accuracy of MR dacryocystography in localizing the site of nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

METHODS

We enrolled twenty-one patients with clinical suspicion of nasolacrimal duct obstruction who underwent dacryoendoscopy and surgery. MR dacryocystography was performed with a heavily T2-weighted fast spin echo sequence in the coronal planes. Before the MRI was performed, a sterile 0.9% NaCl solution was administered into both conjunctival sacs. For each examination, two independent readers (with 8 and 10 years of experience in head and neck imaging) evaluated both heavily 3D space T2-weighted and STIR sequences.

RESULTS

Stenosis/obstruction of nasolacrimal duct or lacrimal sac was diagnosed in all 21 patients who underwent MRI dacryocystography. In particular, the site of the obstruction was classified as lacrimal sac in 12 (57%) patients, nasolacrimal duct in 6 (29%) patients, and canaliculi in 3 (14%) patients by both readers. By comparison with the evidence resulting from the endoscopy, there were differences between MRI dacryocystography and dacryoendoscopy in the evaluation of the obstruction's site in three patients, with an overall accuracy of 85.7%.

CONCLUSION

MR dacryocystography allows a non-invasive evaluation of the lacrimal drainage pathway, valid for the planning of the most appropriate treatment.

Dacryocystorhinostomy: Evolution of endoscopic techniques after 498 cases

Introduction:

Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy is a well-known surgical practice used to treat nasolacrimal duct obstruction and widely considered as a valid alternative to external approaches.

Purpose:

We present a retrospective case series of 498 endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomies on 401 patients, from July 2004 to May 2018, at the Department of Otolaryngology, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy.

Methods:

Of the 498 procedures, 426 were unilateral and 72 were bilateral dacryocystorhinostomy. All patients underwent routine preoperative workup including fluorescein test (Jones test 1–2), probing and irrigation of the lacrimal way, nasal endoscopy, and maxilla-facial computed tomography scan. Surgical technique was based on nasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy followed by positioning of a Catalano’s silicone stent, which was left in place for about 3 months. Anatomical success was defined as a patent ostium on irrigation, whereas functional success was defined as free lacrimal flow on functional test and resolution of epiphora.

Results:

Anatomic success was achieved in 91.54% cases in primary dacryocystorhinostomy and in 89.36% after revision, whereas functional success was obtained in 90.4% in primary and 85.1% in secondary dacryocystorhinostomies. After a second revision of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, anatomical success was achieved in 90.1% and functional success in 88.7% of procedures.

Conclusion:

Our results confirm that endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy can be considered as a valid surgical approach to primary nasolacrimal duct obstruction and revision cases. The key aspects in achieving functional and anatomical results are meticulous surgical procedure and precise follow-up.

The role of interventional radiology in the treatment of epiphora

Epiphora is a relatively common ophthalmologic affection representing almost 5% of clinical consultations in ophthalmology and it consists in the complete or partial obstruction of nasolacrimal duct, leading to insufficient drainage of tears. The traditional treatment is represented by surgery namely, external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR). Despite the high success rate DCR has many disadvantages and limitations since it requires general anesthesia, it may arise in a permanent facial scar and it is often affected by the reobstruction of the anastomotic tract by fibrotic scars and osteogenic activity. Fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures are a therapeutic alternative to surgery for lacrimal duct system obstructions that can consist either in balloon dacryocystoplasty or in nasolacrimal stent placement. In both cases, a pre-operative imaging characterization of the occlusion is needed for a correct treatment planning. In this review, we propose to highlight the role of interventional radiology in the treatment of epiphora and the role of computed tomography dacryocystography (CTD) in depiction and the pre-interventional planning.

Lacrimal colic--an important ophthalmic symptom

This concise case report introduces the novel concept of "lacrimal colic"-acute severe medial canthal pain resulting from sudden expansion of the lacrimal sac, commonly due to stone formation. The condition is compared with renal colic, in which a stone causes distension of the renal pelvis and similar severe pain. The case is presented with a concise literature review, and discussion on the relevance of the symptom in clinical practice.

MR dacryocystography in the evaluation of patients with obstructive epiphora treated by means of interventional radiologic procedures

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Most imaging techniques used for the evaluation of obstructive epiphora, such as DS DCG, rely on undesired ionizing radiation. We evaluated the efficacy of topical contrast-enhanced MR DCG in comparison with DS DCG in patients with obstructive epiphora who underwent balloon DCG or stent placement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-six LDSs of 21 patients treated with balloon DCG (n = 11) or stent placement (n = 11) were examined with MR DCG and DS DCG. Contralateral LDSs (n = 14) were also evaluated in patients with unilateral disease. A sterile 0.9% NaCl solution containing 1:100 diluted gadolinium chelate was instilled into conjunctival sacs. The 3D FSPGR sequence was used with a 1.5T scanner. MR and DS DCG findings were scored and compared according to morphology of the lacrimal sac, junction, and NLD and the presence of contrast media in the nasal cavity.

RESULTS

Comparison of MR DCG and DS DCG findings showed no significant statistical differences in reference to anatomic locations according to the McNemar test (P > .05). Good or very good agreement (κ value > 0.61) was observed according to the κ statistics.

CONCLUSIONS

Topical contrast-enhanced MR DCG is an effective and reliable noninvasive method for evaluation of the LDS in patients treated with IR procedures. This method avoids both cannulation and ionizing radiation and can, therefore, be repeated as often as is necessary in these complex patients.