Dehiscence of the infraorbital canal with the maxillary antral empyema: a new cause of facial pain.

The infraorbital nerve is the largest cutaneous branch of the maxillary divisions of the trigeminal nerve. It may produce a bony ridge on the antral roof but usually goes through within the maxillary bone as a discrete canal. Rarely, it could be partially or completely dehiscent, lying submucosally on the antral roof as in this case. We describe a case of longstanding facial pain because of dehiscence of the infraorbital canal associated with the maxillary antral empyema. Endoscopic sinus surgery was successful in relieving the symptom.