Audiologic Findings in Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

Abstract

RAMSAY HUNT¹ in 1907 described a syndrome which he attributed to geniculate ganglion pathology consisting of herpes zoster, affecting a portion of the external ear, and facial palsy. Subsequent investigations failed to confirm geniculate ganglion pathology but have demonstrated lymphocytic infiltration and degeneration of the facial nerve.^2-5 The skin of the concha and external auditory canal is supplied by cranial nerves 5, 7, 9, 10 and upper cervical nerves. Herpetic lesions of the external ear could be due to involvement of the ganglia of any of these nerves. It appears that the dorsal root ganglia of the upper cervical nerves are often involved in this syndrome because of the distribution of the severe burning pain which so characteristically precedes facial palsy and differentiates it from Bell's palsy. A filterable virus, similar to if not identical with chickenpox virus, is considered the causal agent of herpes zoster.⁶ The