The role of inflammatory biomarkers in predicting primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction and postoperative recurrence

This study aims to determine the relationship between systemic inflammatory biomarkers and primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction and to evaluate whether they can be used as indicators in determining the risk of recurrence after dacryocystorhinostomy. This retrospective, comparative case series was conducted with 57 primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction patients and 58 age- and gender-matched controls. All subjects underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination and complete blood count measurements. The mean neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and systemic immune-inflammation index were significantly higher in patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (p = 0.005, p = 0.01, and p = 0.003, respectively). In recurrent patients, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher than in those who did not develop a recurrence (p = 0.029). The area under the curve was determined as 0.775 (p = 0.029) for the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in predicting recurrence. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and systemic immune-inflammation index levels were significantly higher in patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction compared to healthy controls. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio might be used as a simple and inexpensive indicator for predicting recurrence in patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction.