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Volume: 52 - Issue: 1

First page: 84 - Last page: 89

E. Penttilä - G. Smirnov - J. Seppä - H. Tuomilehto - H. Kokki

DOI: 10.4193/Rhin

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EN-DCR) is a commonly used procedure in the treatment of nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO). However, there is no generally accepted disease-specific questionnaire for assessing outcomes.
METHODOLOGY: We conducted a prospective study to initially validate a Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction Symptom Score question- naire (NLDO-SS) and to evaluate the long-term success of EN-DCR procedures. Seventy-six patients (86 eyes) were evaluated in follow-up visits at 1-8 years after EN-DCR. The patients completed the NLDO-SS questionnaire twice, first, at home and, second, after receiving information from the otorhinolaryngologist, during the visit. The surgical outcome was considered successful if the irrigation succeeded and if the patient symptoms were relieved as assessed with the NLDO-SS.
RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of the NLDO-SS was 84%, sensitivity 82%, specificity 85%, positive predictive value 58%, ne- gative predictive value 95%, odds ratio 26, risk ratio 11 and usefulness index 0.55. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.85, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.87. The long-term success rate after EN-DCR was 79%.
CONCLUSION: The NLDO-SS iss a feasible clinical tool in assessing the success of EN-DCR. The success rate was found to decrease EN-DCR at long-term follow-up.

Rhinology 52-1: 84-89, 2014