Mandibular herpes zoster; with report on the use of cortisone in a case with geniculate ganglion symptoms.

Herpes zoster, an acute specific viral infection, occurs more commonly than is generally supposed. It should be differentiated from other diseases involving the ear and skin; it must be considered as a possible etiologic agent in some palsies of the facial, glossopharyngeal or vagal nerves. The type of cephalic herpes zoster should be carefully differentiated; cases involving the "geniculate zone" may be other than "Ramsay Hunt's syndrome." This syndrome is now defined as a herpes zoster eruption of the external ear at the "geniculate zone" with involvement of the seventh or seventh and eighth nerves. The "topognostic" method is the best for determining the level at which the facial nerve has been affected. It is questioned whether there is a single outstanding therapeutic agent for this disease. Cortisone had no apparent therapeutic effect in a case reported herein.