Professional Documents
Culture Documents
\s=b\ Of 86 patients with herpes zoster women and 33 men) with herpes zos¬ peripherally located, they stained
ophthalmicus seen at the Mayo Clinic, ter ophthalmicus. Of these patients, with rose bengal, and the zoster virus
Rochester, Minn, from 1975 to 1980, 61 67 were examined in the Department could be cultured from them. A non¬
had some form of ocular involvement. of Ophthalmology and 19 had only specific punctate epitheliitis was seen
Corneal disease was seen in 47, uveitis in apparent skin involvement and were in 12 patients, and multiple small
37, postherpetic neuralgia in 15, scleritis not referred for ophthalmologic eval¬ mucous plaques were seen in two.
in three, and ocular motor palsies in three. uation. Sixty-four patients had acute Acute anterior stromal infiltrates
No case of optic nerve or retinal involve- disease, and 22 were referred for sub- were seen in seven patients within one
ment was found. Of serious concern were acute or chronic disease. The age to two weeks after the onset of herpes
four patients with neurologic complica- range of the patients was 20 to 88 zoster. The infiltrates appeared just
tions, including two with contralateral years (average age, 65 years) (Table beneath Bowman's membrane, were
hemiplegia and two with segmental cere- 1). Fifty-six patients were in the sev¬ frequently multiple, and often re¬
bral arteritis. Because the neurologic enth or eighth decade of life. The right sponded to topically administered 1%
complications occur several months after eye was involved in 38 patients and prednisolone acetate. One of the more
the episode of herpes zoster ophthalmi- the left eye was involved in 48. No dramatic forms of corneal disease was
cus, the association is often overlooked patient had bilateral involvement or a disciform keratitis, which mani¬
and the opportunity to treat with cortico- previous episodes of herpes zoster fested either as a fairly rapid periph¬
steroids for systemic effect is missed. ophthalmicus. One patient reported a eral or central infiltration or as ede¬
(Arch Ophthalmol 1983;101:42-45) recent exposure to varicella before the ma. This complication, seen in 17
onset of the zoster lesions. patients, had a variable time onset
Tnvolvement of the ophthalmic from a few weeks to several months
-*- branch of the trigeminal nerve by
Ocular Complications after the initial episode of the disease.
herpes zoster ranges in frequency The inflammation was responsive to
from 8% to 56% in various series.1-2 A 1% prednisolone acetate but had a
Many patients had a preeruptive
Mayo Clinic study (Rochester, Minn) pain in the eye or in the distribution tendency to recur in conjunction with
that reviewed records between 1935 of the trigeminal nerve, although the late vascularization and deposition of
and 1949 indicated a frequency of
16.3% of trigeminal herpes zoster.3 diagnosis of preeruptive herpes zoster lipid, crystalline stromal changes,
One published series showed ocular rarely was made. The most common deeper involvement of the cornea, and
involvement in 50% of cases of herpes pattern of skin distribution was con¬ occasionally stromal ulcération.
comitant eruption along three cutane¬ In one patient in this series, den-
zoster ophthalmicus.4 Ophthalmic ous branches (frontal, lacrimal, and drites similar to the early pseudoden-
herpes zoster is of interest to the
clinician not only because of its poten¬ nasociliary) of the ophthalmic divi¬ drites were noted three months after
sion of the trigeminal nerve. Ocular the initial episode of herpes zoster.
tial for causing substantial visual and
socioeconomic disability but also complications could not be prognosti¬ These lesions were culture negative,
cated on the basis of the involvement persistent for months, wandering, and
because of its potential threat to life of the nasociliary branch of the oph¬
imposed by associated cerebrovascu- unresponsive to topically applied 1%
thalmic division; the severity of the prednisolone acetate. They eventually
lar attacks.5·6 We reviewed all recent disease did not correlate with the cleared without any sequelae. Involve¬
cases of herpes zoster ophthalmicus
number of branches involved. ment of the sclera and adjacent cor¬
seen at the Mayo Clinic to put the
Of the 64 patients with acute dis¬ nea (sclerokeratitis) was seen in two
reported complications into proper ease, 18 (28% ) had only eyelid vesicles patients and caused vascularization,
perspective. without the development of ocular or scarring, and deposition of lipid in the
METHODS adnexal disease. Of the total series of cornea.
The computerized files of the Mayo Clin¬ 86 patients, 61 (71%) had ocular Neurotrophic keratitis was seen in
ic were surveyed for all patients in whom
herpes zoster ophthalmicus had been diag¬
involvement. Patients with this dis¬ tenpatients; the onset varied from
ease have a predilection for dermal one to several months after the dis¬
nosed between 1975 and 1980. Included
were all patients who had acute disease or inflammation, and extensive lid scar¬ ease was originally diagnosed. Corne¬
who were referred for subacute or chronic ring was seen in 11 patients in this al sensation was absent, and the
disease. The history was reviewed for clin¬ series. The ocular complications are lesions consisted of punctate epitheli¬
ical aspects of ocular disease, systemic given in Table 2. Surgical repair fre¬ al erosions, poor corneal luster, tear-
disease, radiation or immunosuppressive quently was necessary for the lid film abnormalities, indolent corneal
therapy, previous episodes of herpes zos¬ abnormalities. erosions, and occasionally band kera-
ter, and exposure to varicella. The compli¬ The corneal manifestations of her¬ topathy. This condition must be dis¬
cations, the quality of the postherpetic tinguished from the epithelial ulcér¬
pes zoster ophthalmicus are diverse
neuralgia, and the treatment directed to and were noted in 47 of our patients in ation associated with stromal inflam¬
herpes zoster ophthalmicus were evalu¬
ated. either the acute or the chronic stage mation, which can be treated with
RESULTS
of the disease. Some patients demon¬ topically administered 1% predniso¬
Epidemiology strated more than one manifestation. lone acetate. Neurotrophic keratitis
We identified 86 patients (53
Acute epithelial keratitis was an early occasionally responded to insertion of
manifestation in 19 patients and was soft contact lenses but most frequent¬
Accepted for publication Feb 3, 1982. detected as a pseudodendrite in seven. ly necessitated tarsorrhaphy. In this
From the Department of Ophthalmology,
Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Inexperienced examiners frequently series of patients, no superimposed
Minn. mistook these lesions for superim¬ bacterial or fungal infections were
Reprint requests to Mayo Clinic, Rochester, posed herpes simplex keratitis, but noted. One patient had a corneal per¬
MN 55905 (Dr Liesegang). the lesions were raised, multiple, and foration and concomitant severe rheu-
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