Patients Undergoing Dacryocystorhinostomy Surgery in Northern Iran: An Epidemiologic Study

BACKGROUND: Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is widely accepted as the procedure of choice for surgical correction of lacrimal drainage system obstruction distal to common canaliculus in adulthood. Although, there are only limited epidemiological data available in Iran about the patients undergoing DCR surgery. AIM: This study was aimed to survey the demographic characteristics of patients received (DCR) surgery to achieve the newer information about these patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this descriptive study, the demographic characters such as age, and gender, clinical findings, history of surgery, etc., extracted from archived files of the patients undergoing DCR surgery in educational and treatment center of Bu Ali Sina Hospital in Mazandaran. Data were entered into the SPSS software version 15 (Chicago, IL, USA) and analysis inferential analysis performed using t-test and Chi-square. RESULTS: Among 40 under survey records 72.5% (29/40) were female and 27.5% (11/40) male. Patient's mean age was 48.22 (17.1). Fifty percent were from a rural area and there was a significant relationship between gender and dacryocystitis rate, it was high among female (P = 0.02(Most of the patients complained of tearing 87.5% (35/40) and recurrent attacks of acute dacryocystitis 70.3% (28/40), respectively. Conjunctivitis in 33.3% (13/40) of patients and chronic discharge was seen in 40% (16/40) of cases. CONCLUSION: Overall finding showed in comparisons of men with the females of middle age and above included higher cases of dacryocystitis. The authors suggest regarding high prevalence of sinusitis and allergies in Northern Iran, checking by ENT specialist is beneficial to exact diagnosis and programming for treatment of this kind of patients.