Abstract
BACKGROUND: Open and minimally invasive tear duct surgery are among the common surgical indications; however, little is known so far about the respective influences on the quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the subjective influence on the quality of life of patients after open and minimally invasive surgical techniques for recanalization of dacryostenosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From the collective of patients who were surgically treated at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf from 2015 to 2018, a total of 169 patients (111 dacryocystorhinostomy, DCR, 58 endoscopy) took part in the survey and answered 9 questions about subjective satisfaction, which were evaluated also comparatively. RESULTS: When asked about postoperative satisfaction, the patients were significantly more satisfied after DCR (p = 0.001) than the patients who underwent a lacrimal endoscopy. There was no significant difference in terms of postoperative complications (p = 0.348). The rate of reoperations, however, was significantly higher in the patient group who underwent lacrimal endoscopy (χ(2)-test, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: In summary it can be said that DCR is not inferior to lacrimal endoscopy in terms of patient satisfaction.