Efficacy of nasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy for chronic dacryocystitis: A systematic review protocol of randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of nasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (NED) for patients with chronic dacryocystitis (CD). METHODS: The following 7 electronic databases will be searched from inception to the present: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. In addition, the clinical trials registry and reference lists of included studies will also be searched. We will only include randomized controlled trials of NED for CD in this systematic review. Two review authors independently carry out the study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment. Whenever it is possible, we will pool the data and conduct meta-analysis by using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of NED for patients with CD. The primary outcome includes success rate of ostial patency. The secondary outcomes consist of duration of surgery, quality of life, postoperative complications, and surgeon's comfort. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may summarize the latest evidence of NED for patients with CD. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019123664.