title: Stellate ganglion block can relieve symptoms and pain and prevent facial nerve damage.
abstract: Ramsay hunt syndrome[1] is a varicella zoster virus infection of the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve. It is typically associated with a red rash and blister (inflamed vesicles or tiny water filled sacks in the skin) in or around the ear and eardrum and sometimes on the roof of the mouth or tongue. Corticosteroid, oral acyclovir, and anticonvulsant are used for treatment of this. In addition to this sympathetic neural blockade via stellate ganglion block is used to prevent facial nerve damage and relieve symptoms. We present a case of Ramsay hunt syndrome in which pain and symptoms are not relieved by oral medication but by daily sittings of stellate ganglion block with local anesthetic and steroid, pain, and other symptoms are relieved, and facial nerve damage is prevented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, VMMC and Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Anoop Raj
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gogia
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, VMMC and Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Kumar Naren
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Chandra
keywords: Local anesthetic; Ramsay hunt syndrome; stellate ganglion block; steroid
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