Acute herpes zoster neuropathy

Acute herpes zoster pain is very severe . Conventional analgesics may be of no value. Regional blocks may play a role

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a painful, eruptive, viral condition results from reactivation of the latent varicella zoster virus after the primary infection. The selection of an effective analgesic method in the acute phase of herpes zoster can decrease the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia by reducing neural sensitization. The stellate ganglion is present in 80% of the general population and is composed of the inferior cervical ganglion and the first thoracic ganglion fusion. It lies anterior to the neck of the first rib and extends to the inferior aspect of the transverse process of C7. The erector spinae plane (ESP) block has been reported to provide diffuse and effective analgesia in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions.