Through curettage in the treatment of chronic canaliculitis
M. A. Pavilack and B. R. Frueh
Department of Ophthalmology, W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48105.
While various techniques have been proposed for the treatment of
canaliculitis, there have been no published series that evaluate the
efficacy of simple curettage in the treatment of persistent or recurrent
canaliculitis. We report the effectiveness of thorough, simple curettage
(without canaliculotomy) in 11 patients with chronic canaliculitis. All
patients had a history of canaliculitis-related symptoms for a minimum of 6
months and clinically detectable canalicular concretions before initial
treatment. Thorough, simple curettage (without canaliculotomy) resolved the
chronic canaliculitis in all of the patients. Ten of the 11 patients were
cured with a maximum of two sessions of curettage. One patient required
three treatments of curettage and silicone intubation for common
canalicular narrowing to render her free of symptoms. No surgical
complications occurred in any of the patients. Our report confirms the
effectiveness and low morbidity of thorough curettage in the treatment of
persistent or recurrent cases of canaliculitis.
