Chronic maxillary atelectasis under the wrappings of an Egyptian mummy

Objectives: In the context of a joint Mummy Research Project of the National Archaeological Museum, the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology and the Athens Medical Centre, an Egyptian mummy of the mid-Ptolemaic Period was transferred to our hospital and was thoroughly investigated with Computed Tomography.

Methods: The mummy was carefully removed from its coffin and scanned in a 64-detector row computed tomographic scanner. Multiplanar and anthropometric measurements were obtained using advanced software.

Results: The mummy appeared to be well-preserved and belonged to a young male adult. Among the findings, the most interesting and uncommon one was the asymmetry of the maxillary sinuses and the orbits. There were no signs of trauma.

Conclusions: Computed Tomography revealed in a non-destructive way a rare, based on the published data, facial deformity in an Egyptian mummy attributed to chronic maxillary atelectasis.