Background: Varicella zoster virus primary infection is responsible for chickenpox, whereas secondary infection or reactivation can lead to a variety of clinical scenarios. If latent infection is established in trigeminal ganglion, the reactivation can determine viral migration to cerebral arteries, which causes a cerebral vasculopathy and subsequently an ischemic stroke.
Patients: Here we report on a child experiencing recurrent episodes of headache mimicking a trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia, in the absence of any skin rash, which were followed by the occurrence of an ipsilateral hemiparesis associated with a choreic movement disorder a month later.
Results: Magnetic resonance angiography showed evidence of a right-sided infarction of basal ganglia and anterior limb of the internal capsule, corresponding to the vascular territory of the recurrent artery of Heubner, as a consequence of a focal varicella zoster virus arteriopathy.
Conclusions: We suggest that the recognition of this prodromal manifestation, which can be interpreted as a zoster sine herpete, could provide clinicians an extremely useful time window to start promptly with a prophylactic treatment.
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