Hyaluronate Facilitates Passage of Lacrimal Probes for Repair of Lacerated Canaliculi

To the Editor.  —Treatment of a lacerated lacrimal canaliculus includes suturing the laceration and placing a stent within the canaliculus to prevent canalicular cicatricial stenosis. Most surgeons use a silicone stent in the treatment of lacerations of the medial half of the canaliculus. The stent can be placed by bicanaliculonasal intubation, passing each end of a silicone tube via the lacrimal puncta to the nasal fossa,¹ or by means of a pigtail probe.² Authors who oppose pigtail probe intubation claim that the pigtail probe is difficult to use and that damage to the uninjured canaliculus or to the lacrimal sac is possible. On the other hand, authors who oppose bicanaliculonasal intubation fear injuring a sound lacrimonasal duct.We have found that filling the lacrimal sac with hyaluronate via the intact lacrimal canaliculus facilitates the passage of either a pigtail probe or probes for bicanaliculonasal intubation. We have