Zosteriform lichen planus-like eruption.

Lichen planus (LP) is a relatively common papulosquamous skin disease of unknown etiology, it is believed to be a T-cell mediated disorder. In addition to the cutaneous eruptions it may also affect mucous membranes, nails or cause scarring alopecia. Lichen planus appears in various clinical variants which are categorized according to the morphology and configuration of lesions. We present a 34-year-old man who developed a papular eruption localized unilaterally on the right side of the body in a linear-zosteriform pattern within the L5-S1 nerve segments. The skin lesions clinically and histologically mimicked LP. Topical treatment with betamethason ointment for one month led to remarkable improvement, but a zosteriform hiperpigmentation persisted. According to the clinical findings in our patient and a review of the literature, we believe that lichenoidzosteriform eruption is a variant of lichen planus or a herpes zoster infection.