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Case Reports
. 2024 Jun 25;16(6):e63095.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.63095. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Phantom Hernia: A Rare Sequela of Herpes Zoster Infection

Aditya Sharma  1 , Ritika Khanna  2 , Seema Khanna  1 , Rahul Khanna  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Phantom Hernia: A Rare Sequela of Herpes Zoster Infection

Aditya Sharma et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The herpes zoster (HZ) virus first manifests as varicella, or chickenpox, in children and remains dormant in the dorsal root ganglia of the nerves. The vesicular eruptions that might be painful develop along a dermatome when the virus is reactivated. While postherpetic neuralgia is a well-known side effect of herpes simplex, there are well-reported motor consequences as well. Segmental zoster paresis is an uncommon motor consequence of herpes zoster that resembles an anterior abdominal wall hernia but does not require surgery in contrast to an actual abdominal wall hernia. We present a similar case of a 46-year-old male who presented with classic herpes zoster rash and phantom hernia as a rare sequela of this condition.

Keywords: anterior abdominal wall; herpes zoster; neurological complication; phantom hernia; pseudohernia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. A clinical picture showing a healed herpetic skin rash with dimensions of 16x12 and 18x14 cm and extension in the right (A) and left (B) flanks, respectively
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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