“Imploding antrum” or silent sinus syndrome following naso-tracheal intubation

Silent sinus syndrome is a condition in which chronic asymptomatic maxillary sinus disease presents with spontaneous unilateral enophthalmos and hypoglobus.1 Patients have inferior displacement of the orbit due to a downward bowing of the orbital floor and atelectasis of the maxillary antrum. Although the underlying maxillary sinus pathology is “silent” it has been suggested recently that “imploding antrum” more closely describes the acute nature of maxillary sinus collapse that occurs in the majority of cases.2 We present a typical case that appears to have been related to previous nasotracheal intubation. A 27 year old woman was referred to ophthalmology outpatients complaining that her left eye was lower than the right and that when she looked down, she could see more of her left cheek …