title: Early diagnosis of zoster sine herpete and antiviral therapy for the treatment of facial palsy.
abstract: The effect of antiviral agents on recovery from facial palsy in patients with zoster sine herpete (ZSH; varicella zoster virus reactivation without zoster) has not been evaluated because ZSH is difficult to diagnose early after onset. In this study, all 13 patients who received acyclovir-prednisone treatment within 7 days of onset, as confirmed by a positive PCR result, showed complete recovery. PCR-based early diagnosis of ZSH and antiviral therapy elicited an excellent outcome for recovery from facial palsy due to ZSH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. yfuruta@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Furuta
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ohtani
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mesuda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inuyama
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006563:Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D011241:Prednisone; D000212:Acyclovir