[Digital dacryocystography]

Abstract

The technique of conventional dacryocystography has recently been improved and extended by utilizing new technological developments. Digital dacryocystography, performed with computer-controlled X-ray equipment with a C-arc, and coupled to an image intensifier-TV system, enables the passage of the contrast medium to be observed, the image to be enlarged to any desired size, and also offers the advantages of digital subtraction angiography. A great deal of diagnostic information is thus obtained, making precise localization of stenoses of the lacrimal pathways possible. The method is especially useful for localizing stenoses of the lacrimal pathways, presaccal, intrasaccal and postsaccal stenoses which are difficult to demonstrate by conventional methods; and combined stenoses of the efferent lacrimal pathways. Exact localization is an essential prerequisite for choosing an appropriate surgical procedure.