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Facial palsy and atrial fibrillation: a special case of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

Fares AyoubDhruv MahttaRoland-Austin FedericoMichael Kaufmann
Published in: BMJ case reports (2017)
Ramsay Hunt syndrome (herpes zoster oticus) is a rare complication of latent Varicella Zoster virus infection. It can be complicated by permanent hearing loss, loss of taste and postherpetic neuralgia. Although Ramsay Hunt syndrome most prominently involves the facial nerve, a number of other cranial nerves can be involved such as the vestibulocochlear, glossopharyngeal and the vagus nerve. We report on a case of Ramsay Hunt syndrome with cranial polyneuritis complicated by atrial fibrillation. Vagal involvement as evidenced by physical examination and MRI findings was present in our patient. We hypothesise that viral vagal neuritis likely contributed to the development of atrial fibrillation in our patient through involvement of the autonomic components of the vagus nerve.
Keyphrases
  • atrial fibrillation
  • case report
  • left atrial
  • catheter ablation
  • heart failure
  • left atrial appendage
  • hearing loss
  • computed tomography
  • blood pressure
  • sars cov
  • coronary artery disease
  • magnetic resonance
  • heart rate