acyclovir and Myositis

External ocular muscle palsies in patients with ophthalmic zoster are traditionally interpreted as diseases of III, IV or VI cranial nerves. Orbital myositis associated with zoster ophthalmicus has been diagnosed only rarely. We describe a patient with ophthalmic zoster and external ophthalmoplegia due to ocular myositis demonstrated by MR imaging. Treatment with acyclovir and cortisone resulted in a rapid improvement of the ophthalmoplegia. In ophthalmic herpes zoster associated with external ocular muscle palsies, ocular myositis is an important differential diagnosis to inflammatory involvement of the cranial nerves III, IV, and VI.

Topics: Acyclovir; Aged; Antiviral Agents; Brain Stem; Cortisone; Female; Gadolinium; Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Myositis; Ophthalmoplegia

Topics: Acute Disease; Acyclovir; Aged; Herpes Zoster; Humans; Male; Myositis

Topics: Acyclovir; Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myositis; Oculomotor Muscles; Orbital Diseases; Steroids; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

A unique, progressive syndrome of muscle weakness, ascending telangiectasia, and venous ectasia of the legs developed in a 55-year-old woman with autoimmune thyroiditis. Myopathy was documented by electromyography and electron microscopy. Her constellation of findings is considered to be of autoimmune origin. Treatment with acyclovir eliminated the patient's generalized telangiectasia. Cyclosporine therapy resulted in a marked but temporary reduction of the enlarged thyroid and of her elevated thyroglobulin and microsomal antibodies. Neither acyclovir nor cyclosporine had any demonstrable effect on the patient's muscle function or venous ectasia.

Topics: Acyclovir; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Myositis; Telangiectasis; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune