Ramsay Hunt Syndrome Type 2

Ramsay Hunt syndrome type 2, usually called simply Ramsay Hunt syndrome and also known as herpes zoster oticus, is inflammation of the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve occurring as a late consequence of varicella zoster virus infection. Fewer than one percent of varicella zoster infections reach the facial nerve and cause it. It is traditionally defined by a triad of facial paralysis on the affected side, ear pain, and vesicles near the ear and ear canal, and because of the nerve's closeness to the vestibulocochlear nerve it can also cause hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo; diagnosis is often overlooked or delayed, which raises the risk of lasting effects, and it is considered more complicated than Bell's palsy.