Dacryocystorhinostomy.

The extranasal method of dacryocystorhinostomy, which totally incorporates the lacrimal sac into the nasal cavity, is described, and the primary and late results of this method are presented in 57 patients with chronic epiphora caused by stenosis of the nasolacrimal duct. Immediately after the operation, the results were satisfactory in all patients. At late follow-up, with a median observation period of 5 years, 80% of the patients were completely free of epiphora and 15% had periodic epiphora, which was a considerable improvement over the preoperative condition. The described method could become a rhinologic routine procedure in patients with chronic epiphora.