Standard Curved Dressing Forceps 10.5cm — Lacrimal Surgery

Standard Curved Dressing Forceps — 10.5cm Lacrimal Surgery

The 10.5cm-labelled standard curved dressing forceps serves lacrimal surgery — dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) for nasolacrimal duct obstruction, lacrimal sac probing in paediatric epiphora, and the canalicular reconstruction procedures that follow eyelid trauma involving the lacrimal drainage system. The curved tip reaches the lacrimal sac through the medial canthal anatomy where the anatomic angles do not align with straight-instrument approaches.

The external DCR procedure

External DCR creates a new drainage opening between the lacrimal sac and the nasal cavity through a skin incision adjacent to the medial canthus. The procedure involves identification of the lacrimal sac, bony rhinostomy through the lacrimal-bone-frontal-process-of-maxilla, and mucosal-anastomosis between the lacrimal sac and the nasal mucosa. The 10.5cm curved forceps handles the lacrimal-sac wall at the angle the anatomy presents — typically 30-45° off the operator’s straight-line approach.

Modern endoscopic alternative

Endonasal endoscopic DCR has emerged as an alternative to external DCR with comparable success rates and no facial scar. The 10.5cm curved forceps continues to serve external DCR in centres preferring the open approach for specific anatomic situations.