BACKGROUND: Utilizing expanded endoscopic approaches to the maxillary sinus for the endonasal management of a variety of tumors is increasing in popularity. The nasolacrimal duct (NLD) may be injured inadvertantly or need to be removed during tumor resection or to augment visualization. Management of the NLD can take the form of transection alone, transection with stenting, or performing a formal dacryocystorhinostomy to avoid postoperative sequelae of injury. The purpose of this study was to review the literature and determine the optimal management of the NLD during expanded maxillary sinus approaches.
METHODS: A systematic review of Ovid, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane databases was performed to identify studies involving expanded approaches to the maxillary sinus and that explicitly reported the status of the NLD and postoperative outcomes.
RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included in the analysis and divided into two groups: NLD-preserving (n = 9 studies; n = 191 patients in aggregate) and NLD-involving (n = 10 studies; n = 296 patients in aggregate). In the NLD-preserving subgroup, one patient out of a subgroup aggregate of 191 patients (0.5%) developed epiphora. In the NLD-involving subgroup, sharp transection alone was the most common method of NLD removal and was associated with a low rate of epiphora (study rates: 0 to 18.2%; aggregated subgroup rate: 7.0%, 21 / 296). Spontaneous resolution of symptoms was common (60%-100% cases).
CONCLUSIONS: The NLD should be preserved when feasible from an exposure and tumor-control perspective. When pathology or approach requires the removal of the NLD, rates of persistent epiphora are very low, regardless of surgical technique. When expanded maxillary approaches are employed, particularly for benign tumors, and require removal of the NLD, sharp transection is the simplest method of removal, provides a low rate of postoperative epiphora, and is supported by the available literature.

Lacrimal canaliculitis is an inflammation of the proximal lacrimal drainage system. It classically presents with symptoms of redness, mucopurulent discharge, medial canthal swelling, epiphora, and pouting punctum. Despite having classical clinical characteristics it is frequently misdiagnosed. The cause can be primarily due to various infectious agents or secondary mostly due to the use of punctal plugs. There are no universally accepted guidelines for the management of canaliculitis but different medical and surgical options have been employed with varying success rates and it is notorious for recurrences and failure to therapy. The present review summarizes the existing literature on lacrimal canaliculitis published over the past 15 years to provide an overview of this uncommon condition. A total of 100 articles published in the literature were anlaysed during this period. The mean age at diagnosis was 57.09 ± 16.91 years with a female preponderance. Misdiagnosis was common with many patients misdiagnosed as conjunctivitis and dacryocystitis. Primary canaliculitis was found to be more frequent than secondary with inferior canaliculus involved more commonly than the superior. Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Actinomyces were the most common microbes isolated. Surgical management was employed in 74.25% of cases while medical management was done in 20.82% of cases. The review presents an insight into the complexities of canaliculitis, its diagnosis, and management which will further help to improve the understanding of this uncommon infection of the lacrimal system.

We report a case series of supernumerary puncta-canaliculi, a very rare congenital anomaly, and describe different clinical presentations and new treatment options. This is a retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with supernumerary lacrimal puncta during the time between June 2015 and December 2021 at the Research Institute of Ophthalmology, Giza, Egypt. Four patients (two females and two males) with a mean presenting age of 54 ± 14 years had unilateral double puncta. Of those four patients, three had double puncta on the right lower eyelid whereas one had double puncta on the left upper and lower eyelid. In one of the three patients, the double puncta anomaly was an incidental finding, and the patient was asymptomatic. The other three patients had associated epiphora. All four patients were found to have patent double puncta with no mechanical obstruction. No surgical interventions were necessary for all four patients as one resolved after discontinuing the topical eye drops. Another patient resolved after the diagnostic probing of the puncta, and the third asymptomatic patient required no interventions. Epiphora in the fourth patient resolved with botulinum toxin injection in the lacrimal gland. Accessory lacrimal puncta can present in patients as an incidental asymptomatic finding or patients may present with epiphora. Patients who present with unilateral epiphora, dry eye, or canaliculitis should be carefully evaluated with a detailed slit-lamp examination using lid eversion to appreciate potentially easily missed supernumerary lacrimal puncta.

Odontogenic tumors are silent ailments which can affect any individual. One such lesion is a calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor (CEOT). It is a rare lesion with a locally aggressive nature. A 33-year-old male presented with nasal blockage and continuous flow of tears from the left eye for the past 7-8 months. Clinical examination revealed slightly protruded left eyeball and altered level of eyeballs with continuous watery discharge. Hess chart confirmed normal eye movements. Intraoral findings were not significant. The final diagnosis of CEOT was established based on the histopathological aspects. CEOT is mostly found in the third to fifth decade of life without gender predilection. Presenting symptoms and signs comprise painless expansile mass, although there are reports associated with pain, nasal obstruction, epistaxis, and proptosis. In this article, we would like to present a case of CEOT with epiphora and nasal blockage as the main and only presentation, an uncommon finding. Furthermore, discussing and posing a question of an adequate period of follow-up required to negate the presence of recurrence. One must stay vigilant enough not only to attest a singular symptom to the commonest ailment related to it but also to explore the possibility of the less known. Furthermore, we need to further research in depth to establish a certain duration after which the likeliness of recurrence is to the minimum.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the surgical results of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (Endo-DCR) for chronic dacryocystitis (CD) with and without intraoperative hyaluronic acid (HA) application.
METHODS: An electronic literature search was performed using the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wan Fang databases in April 1, 2022. Review Manager software version 5.4 was used for data synthesis and a forest plot was generated for each outcome measure.
RESULTS: Seven randomized control trials (RCTs), which involved 739 eyes, were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, compared with the control group, intraoperative HA application significantly enhance the success rate (odds ratio [OR] = 3.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.15-4.98, P < .00001), promote re-epithelization (OR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.83-4.68, P < .00001), reduce granulation (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.21-0.80, P = .008), and scar (OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.22-0.68, P = .001) formation after Endo-DCR.
CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative HA application seems to be a useful adjuvant that could enhance success rate by promoting re-epithelization and inhabiting granulation and scar formation around the ostium.

Primary malignant lymphomas of the lacrimal sac are rare neoplasms. They are mainly B-cell lymphoma with nonspecific and atypical symptoms, which can lead to misdiagnosis and a delay in the appropriate cure. Early diagnosis made by biopsy and the right choice of treatments can increase the chance of survival. We report a case of a non-Hodgkin diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the lacrimal sac, involving also the drainage system, in a 77-year-old female. She presented with an epiphora, swelling and a heavy visual impairment at the left eye successfully treated with cycles of polychemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Angioleiomyomas are benign tumors composed of smooth muscle and vascular endothelium. While infrequent in overall prevalence, they are exceptionally rare in the head and neck. Herein, we describe the case of a 65-year-old female who was found to have an angioleiomyoma of the right nasolacrimal duct. Endoscopic excision of the lesion along with medial maxillectomy and dacryocystorhinostomy was performed without complication. The current report is one of the few reported cases of angioleiomyoma of the lacrimal drainage system.

UNASSIGNED: Los puntos lagrimales supernumerarios son una malformación congénita poco común y con una variabilidad anatómica importante. En muchas ocasiones pueden ser sintomáticos y cursar con epífora.
UNASSIGNED: Se describe el caso de un paciente de 45 años con epífora secundaria a un punto lagrimal supernumerario sin otra patología lagrimal asociada tratado exitosamente con el uso de tapones de vías lagrimales.
UNASSIGNED: Los tapones de vías lagrimales para el tratamiento de la epífora secundaria a puntos lagrimales supernumerarios pueden ser utilizados en pacientes con variantes anatómicas adecuadas.
UNASSIGNED: Supernumerary lacrimal punctum is a rare malformation of the lacrimal apparatus with a highly variable anatomical presentation. In many cases this can be symptomatic and cause tearing.
UNASSIGNED: The case of a 45 year old male with a supernumerary lacrimal punctum and tearing without any other associated lacrimal system anomaly treated successfully with lacrimal plugs.
UNASSIGNED: Lacrimal plugs can be used as an alternative treatment in selected cases of symptomatic supernumerary lacrimal punctum with epiphora.

Epiphora due to refractory bicanalicular obstructions is typically managed by conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) with or without the assistance of nasal endoscopy. However, the evidence for its benefit is unclear.
A systematic review of the literature on the treatment of epiphora by CDCR was performed (March 1, 2018). All studies reporting original data on patients suffering from epiphora treated with CDCR surgery were included. Primary outcomes were success and satisfaction rates. Secondary outcomes were CDCR complications. A comparison was made between the results obtained in patients undergoing CDCR with vs without assistance of nasal endoscopy.
Fifty-four studies representing information on 2555 CDCR procedures were included in the systematic review. All the studies are case series, most of them retrospective. Lester Jones tube (LJT) is the most commonly used in CDCR (66.7%). The overall success rate with all studies included (n = 2555) was 88.9%; 90.8% (n = 890) in CDCR with assistance of nasal endoscope and 87.7% (n = 1575) in the non-endoscopic approach. The overall \"tube displacement\" rate, the most common complication, was 24.5% (n = 2522), 20.8% (n = 1575) tube displacement in CDCR with assistance of nasal endoscope vs 26.7% (n = 1575) in the non-endoscopic approach. Only 3 studies (5.5%) used patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to evaluate epiphora improvement. Due to the low level of evidence and the high bias of the studies, a meta-analysis was not performed.
Based on the data available in the literature, CDCR is considered an effective procedure for treating epiphora due to proximal obstruction. Controlled and qualitative studies are needed to clarify the significance of the endoscope\'s contribution to CDCR.

BACKGROUND: Epiphora is a common ophthalmologic sign that is most commonly caused by distal acquired lacrimal obstruction. Recent data have demonstrated that external dacryocystorhinostomy (EXT-DCR) and endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (END-DCR) can be considered the treatments of choice. However, different post-surgical medical therapies are available and are currently used to improve surgical outcomes, although no direct comparison has been performed.
OBJECTIVE: To analyse the influence of post-surgical medical treatments on END-DCR and EXT-DCR outcomes.
METHODS: A structured search was conducted using the U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed), EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane databases with a final search performed in May 2020. The research identified papers published later than 2000 with at least 50 single clinician procedures performed in EXT-DCR and END-DCR. Articles that studied acute infections, revision cases, mixed cohort studies of acquired and congenital obstruction, and tumour were excluded. The influence of systemic antibiotic/steroids, local application of mitomycin C, nasal/ocular antibiotic, nasal/ocular steroids and nasal decongestants was analysed.
RESULTS: In total, 11,445 papers were selected, 2,741 of which were reviewed after screening, and 18 included after full text review (0.6% of the initial articles reviewed) which involved 3,590 procedures. Considering the low number of publications on EXT-DCR, statistical analysis of post-surgical therapy was not feasible. In END-DCR, the analyses were performed only for nasal steroids (p = 0.58), oral antibiotics (p = 0.45) and nasal decongestant (p = 0.27), which demonstrated no meaningful influence. Given the variable association between adjunctive medical therapies, pharmacologic molecular heterogeneity and modality/concentration of application, these results should be considered critically. Additionally, no differences were seen for application of silicone stenting, whereas, no statistical analysis was performed for mitomycin C.
CONCLUSIONS: Given the high success rate of EXT-DCR and END-DCR and the heterogeneity of literature data, the effective influence of post-surgical medical therapy is difficult to identify. Future large prospective randomized studies could help in detecting the optimal adjunctive therapy for these surgeries.