Korean Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery  2005;48(3):398-401

Two Cases of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome Complicated with Multiple Cranial Nerve Palsy and Aseptic Meningitis.

Jong Bin KIM 1 ; Jae Yong BYUN ; Sung Wan KIM ; Chang Il CHA

Affiliations

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Keywords

Ramsay Hunt auricular syndrome; Cranial nerve palsy; Meningitis

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Herpes zoster oticus or Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs in about one percent of all cases of herpes zoster and represents 12 percent of all facial palsies. The typical clinical presentation includes otalgia, facial palsy, herpetic lesions of the auricle and external auditory canal, but is frequently accompanied with sensorineural hearing loss, vertigo and tinnitus. Rarely, it may be associated with the involvement of V, VI, IX, X, XI and XII cranial nerves, aseptic meningitis, and the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). With a review of literature, we report two cases. The first case is a 64-year-old male with Ramsay Hunt syndrome complicated with cranial nerve VIII palsy and aseptic meningitis. The second case is a 30-year-old female with Ramsay Hunt syndrome complicated with the cranial nerve III, IV, V, VI and VIII palsies and aseptic meningitis.