Herpes Zoster Virus: An Unusual but Potentially Treatable Cause of Sciatica and Foot Drop
| Autor: | Livio Di Mascio, Walter B Sprenger De Rover, Sulaiman Alazzawi, Rachael Hutchinson, Peter J Hallam |
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| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Herpesvirus 3 Human Foot drop Weakness medicine.medical_specialty Lower motor neuron lesion medicine.medical_treatment Acyclovir Antiviral Agents Herpes Zoster Sciatica medicine Humans Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Gait Disorders Neurologic Aged Muscle Weakness business.industry Exanthema medicine.disease Magnetic Resonance Imaging Surgery Electrophysiology Splints Treatment Outcome medicine.symptom business Splint (medicine) Foot (unit) Shingles |
| Zdroj: | Orthopedics. 34 |
| ISSN: | 1938-2367 0147-7447 |
| DOI: | 10.3928/01477447-20111021-26 |
| Popis: | The herpes zoster virus is a rare but potential cause of acute motor weakness. This article describes 2 patients with drop foot secondary to an infection of varicella zoster who were incorrectly referred to an orthopedic clinic from their general practitioners. The first patient was a 74-year-old man who presented with weakness in the right foot and a vesicular rash. The pattern of disease supported the clinical diagnosis of shingles affecting the L5 motor and sensory division. No investigation was required, and the patient was treated with a foot drop splint. The second patient was a 71-year-old man who presented with right leg and foot weakness and a vesicular rash affecting his right buttock and posterior right thigh. Lumbar magnetic resonance excluded a stenotic lesion; electrophysiological studies supported the diagnosis of a lower motor neuron lesion. The patient was treated with a 1-week course of acyclovir and a foot drop splint. The correct diagnosis will aid in correct referral and will prompt management, which will potentially provide a faster and better outcome for the patient. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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