Abstract
THE use of silicone tubing for maintaining the patency of a severed lacrimal canaliculus or an obstructed nasolacrimal duct has been used since the late 1960s. A method of intubating a lacrimal drainage system with readily available materials and instruments is as follows (see Figure): The proximal end of a severed canaliculus is found. A blunt 22-gauge needle is passed through the canaliculus into the nasolacrimal duct and into the nose. A 3-0 monofilament nylon suture is then passed through the cannula into the nose. Fine forceps are used to grasp the suture beneath the inferior turbinate as it protrudes from the cannula. The cannula is withdrawn leaving the suture in the canaliculus and nasolacrimal duct. The opposite canaliculus and nasolacrimal duct is similarly cannulated and a suture passed through it. Thus, two nylon sutures are in the lacrimal passages.
Published Version
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