Das Ramsay-Hunt-Syndrom (Zoster des Ganglion geniculi)

Ramsay Hunt syndrome

“…The close anatomic relationship between the affected cranial nerves, their individual anastomoses among each other and with the upper cervical spinal ganglia as well as the possibility of primary involvement of multiple ganglia are considered the causes of the variability in particular of clinical neurological symptoms and simultaneously explain the in part divergent definition of RHS [7,8]. According to Malin et al [9] the diagnosis RHS can be made when in addition to herpes zoster oticus with peripheral facial nerve paresis further cranial nerve lesions and sensory disturbances in cervical dermatomes are present (Table 1). Robillard et al diagnosed RHS on the basis of the symptom triad of ear pain, peripheral facial nerve paresis and herpes zoster lesions on the external auditory tract, the concha of the ear or other cervical dermatomes [10].…”

“…Hypacusis is an expression of sensorineural hearing loss and can be classified clinically through a positive Rinne test and a Weber test lateralized to the healthy side. Neurological symptoms of involvement of the trigeminal nerve manifest as weakness of the masticatory muscles as well as in taste and sensitivity disturbance in the areas innervated by the individual branches of the trigeminal nerve in the form of hyper-or hypesthesia as well as possibly even hypalgesia [9,18,20]. Involvement of other cranial nerves, in particular the abducens nerve, the glossopharyngeal nerve or the vagus nerve, is only rarely observed in RHS [6,18,29].…”