SUCCESS in treating the torn or obstructed lacrimal canaliculus rose markedly with Henderson's introduction of the temporarily-implanted polyethylene tube in 1950.1,2 While most techniques for insertion have included opening the lacrimal sac surgically,3-9 the latter aspect was made unnecessary for cases involving laceration or minor cicatrization (of short extent) by the advent of Worst's spiral probe.10 Moreover, even this method can be made mechanically easier and shorter, eliminating the need for a prepositioned pancanalicular, intralumenal suture, by inserting the tubing along with the probe, as described below.
Worst's spiral probe is a long-handled instrument to each end of which is attached a circularly-arranged or cork-screw-shaped lacrimal probe—the one turning clockwise and the other, counterclockwise (Fig 1). The technique to be described here consists of fenestrating the side of a length of polyethylene tubing of a carefully-selected caliber (thin-walled but semirigid, whose lumen will admit the spiral probe