Acute lacrimal abscess in infancy: a report of 22 cases.

Twenty-two cases of acute lacrimal abscess in infancy seen between 1959 and 1976 have been presented. Twelve of them had more han one attack at the time of reporting to this hospital. Initial treatment of the condition was medical, utilizing local and systemic antibiotics. If this did not produce a prompt response, incision and drainage of the abscess was done. The cases showed a preponderance of infections by mixed organisms. In three cases, blocked lacrimal passages opened up spontaneously while on medical treatment. In the remaining 19 cases, probing in an attempt to remove the obstruction in the nasolacrimal duct was performed as soon as the acute inflammation was controlled. Reprobing was needed in nine cases. Only two cases eventually required surgery to achieve a cure. The study indicates that early probing is successful in a high percentage of cases of acute lacrimal abscess including those coming with recurrent attacks.