Das Leitsymptom der intra- und postsakkalen Tränenwegsstenose ist die Epiphora. Aufgrund der Anatomie der Tränenwege, die an der Grenze zwischen den Fachgebieten der Augenheilkunde und der HNO-Heilkunde liegen und aufgrund in den letzten Jahren entwickelter interventionell-radiologischer Techniken stehen unterschiedliche Möglichkeiten der Diagnostik und Therapie von intra- und postsakkalen Tränenwegsstenosen zur Verfügung. Eine interdisziplinäre Vorgehensweise hat sich bewährt. Ergebnisse bei 107 Patienten, die sich im Zeitraum zwischen 2005 und 2011 einer Dakryozystorhinostomie (DCR) nach West unterzogen, werden berichtet.

Epiphora, which leads to blurry vision, is the leading symptom for intra- and/or postsaccal lacrimal duct stenosis. Due to the anatomy of the tear duct system, which lies between the fields of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, and due to newly available techniques in interventional radiology to diagnose and treat patients with intra- and postsaccal lacrimal duct stenosis, various methods for diagnosis and treatment are available. We report the results of 107 patients who underwent endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) between 2005 and 2011. Prior to the DCR, dacryocystography was performed in 95 of the 107 patients. In 68 of these 95 cases, balloon dilatation was unsuccessful. Histological examination of 64 patients showed chronic inflammation in 61 patients, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was diagnosed in 2 patients and aspergilloma in1 patient. Over a follow-up time of 6 months to a maximum of 7 years we revised 15 of 107 patients, due to reocclusion after removal of the stent. None of these patients showed recurrence of epiphora. In comparison to transcutaneous DCR, endonasal DCR has certain benefits: it is less invasive, no visible scars occur because of the endonasal approach, and the function of the lacrimal pump remains uneffected. Furthermore, the possibility of co-treatment of endonasal pathologies during DCR exists. We observed no serious adverse events in our study group and the success rate was similar to other studies.