Abstract
Ramsay Hunt described the palsy of facial and vestibulocochlear nerves caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) the first time in 1907, and this is now a well-known phenomenon. However, there have been few case reports of paralysis of the lower cranial nerve associated with VZV reactivation. We herein report the case of a 57-year-old female with laryngeal paralysis caused by VZV. She visited our hospital complaining of pain upon swallowing and hoarseness. The local findings showed left vocal cord palsy and a white mucosal lesion in her hemilateral epiglottis and left false cord. We considered that VZV is associated with her disease, and she was treated with antiviral medication and a steroid. The anti-VZV antibody titers were measured at the initial visit and three weeks later, and the definitive diagnosis was made based on the elevation of the anti-varicella zoster titer. The white mucosal lesion disappeared and the nerve disorder completely recovered after treatment.
