New polypropylene tube to stent or bypass the lacrimal system.

A tube made of polypropylene has been used both as a stent after canalicular reconstruction or repair and as a bypass device to drain tears when the canaliculi have been destroyed. The tube comes in different sizes, can be cut to any length, can be bent to any shape and can easily be flanged at the nasal end by the surgeon. The tube has good capillarity and drains well. There is enough tissue reaction around it so that it will not extrude, yet when it is used as a stent it can easily be removed.