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Donald H. Gilden, MD; Richard I. Katz, MD

Arch Neurol. 2003;60:616-617.

Herpes zoster occurs most often in elderly and immunocompromised individuals, and rarely after surgery. We report 2 cases in which zoster developed in the contralateral dermatome distribution homologous to the surgical site. The mechanism by which unilateral surgery might affect homologous ganglia is likely to involve spinal cord pathways above the dermatomal level of surgical trauma.

From the Departments of Neurology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver (Dr Gilden); and the Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa (Dr Katz).