Canalicular laceration. An 11-year epidemiologic and clinical study.

From 1977 through 1987, a total of 222 patients (166 male and 56 female patients) underwent surgical repair of canalicular laceration at Wills Eye Hospital. Demographic and clinical information were collected from the medical records and by written questionnaire or telephone interview. Most injuries occurred in children or young adults (median age, 20 years). Overall, blows from fists was the most common cause of injury (52 patients, 23.4%). Dog bites or scratches were the most frequent causes among children. A total of 147 injuries (66.2%) involved the lower eyelid, 61 (27.5%) the upper eyelid, and 14 (6.3%) the upper and lower eyelids on the same side. Constant or stress epiphora occurred postoperatively significantly more often among patients with combined upper and lower canalicular injuries (61.5%) than among those with single canalicular laceration (19.7%) (p less than 0.01). Analysis with logistic regression showed epiphora to be more common among adults than children (p less than 0.05) when the pigtail probe had been used intraoperatively (p less than 0.05), or when no canalicular stent had been placed at the time of surgical repair (p less than 0.05). No statistically significant associations were found between sex, cause of injury, type of canalicular stent, or time interval from injury to surgical repair and presence of postoperative epiphora.