To investigate the effects of intranasal steroid spray after silicone tube intubation in nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

We included 73 patients (73 eyes) who had undergone silicone tube intubation with partial nasolacrimal duct obstruction and who had been followed-up for more than 6 months. We divided them into two groups: Group 1 (37 patients, 37 eyes), who used intranasal steroid spray twice a day for 4 weeks after silicone tube intubation, and Group 2 (36 patients, 36 eyes), who did not use intranasal steroid spray. A retrospective medical record review was performed to analyze the clinical features of epiphora improvement and complications in the two groups.

No significant difference was found in epiphora improvement after surgery between the two groups (33 eyes [89.2%] in Group 1, 31 eyes [86.1%] in Group 2) ( p = 0.736). In addition, the difference in success rate between the two groups was also not statistically significant (33 eyes [89.2%] in Group 1, 28 eyes [77.8%] in Group 2) ( p = 0.221). Group 1 (5/37 [13.5%] eyes) and Group 2 (12/36 [33.3%] eyes) complained of ocular discomfort during the period of silicone tube intubation ( p = 0.045). The complication rate of Group 1 (5/37 [13.5%] eyes) was significantly lower than that of Group 2 (13/36 [36.1%] eyes) ( p = 0.024).

Silicone tube intubation is an effective treatment option for adults diagnosed with partial nasolacrimal duct obstruction, and postoperative intranasal steroid application may contribute to improvement of ocular symptoms after the surgery. There may be a merit of using intranasal steroid spray for adjuvant therapy to prevent postoperative complications, but it needs further study considering various factors.