To evaluate the clinical effects of silicone tube intubation in patients with epiphora and a narrow common canaliculus.

We conducted a retrospective chart review of 107 patients (169 eyes) who underwent silicone tube intubation for treatment of canaliculus between August 2008 and August 2010 and who were followed for more than 12 months. The patients were divided into 3 groups: patients with canalicular stenosis (A), patients with common canalicular stenosis (B), and patients with nasolacrimal duct stenosis (C). Successful treatment was defined as attainment of the predefined requisites, which included improvements in the clinical symptoms following surgery, an adequate passage of tears resulting from post-operative probing and syringing, and continued improvement to the time of the patients' final follow-up visit. In contrast, surgical failure was defined as the lack of post-operative symptom improvement, and recurrence was defined as the appearance of epiphora following the silicone tube extubation.

The average follow-up duration for the entire group of patients was 30.5 months. The success rates of Group A, Group B, and Group C were 66%, 75.4%, and 56.3%, respectively, demonstrating that Group B attained the highest success rate. These success rates are similar to rates resulting from other types of surgery such as canaliculodacryocystorhinostomy.

Silicone tube intubation can be considered a relatively simple and effective surgical technology for the long-term treatment of patients with a narrow common canaliculus.