Abstract

Purpose: To report the clinical findings, and outcomes in newborn infants presented with a cystic mass located inferior to the medial canthus. Methods: The medical records of twelve newborn infants between 15 days and 3 months of age, with the presence of an unilateral dark-blue mass in the medial canthal region, as soon as after birth, were rewieved retrospectively. The management protocol was consisted of the warm compress and massage over the mass, and antibiotics when dacryocystitis developed. Nasolacrimal duct probing was performed in cases of no spontaneous resolution. Patients age at the time of clinical examination, presence of retrograde outflow from the puncta and development of dacryocystitis were recorded. Results: A total of twelve newborn infants, age ranged from 15 to 90 days (mean 12 days ), 7 (58.3%) female, and 5 (41.5%) male, with a blue-colored cystic mass over the lacrimal sac, were diagnosed as dacryocystocele. Patients were followed up to 12 months (range, 6 to 24 months). This cystic lesion was unilateral in all cases (100%), with 75% right site involvement. Among these 2 (16.7%) of the patients had spontaneously resolved by systemic antibiotic therapy and massage. Acute dacryocystitis was seen in 10 (83.3%) of the patients, and they were succesfully treated by topical and systemic antibiotic prior to nasolacrimal duct probing. Conclusion: In order to prevent high incidence of complications such as dacryocystitis and orbital cellulitis, careful observation and treatment should be performed in newborn babies with cystic mass over the lacrimal sac.

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