Objectives: Herpes zoster oticus (HZO) typically provokes vestibular symptoms and is traditionally viewed as a cranial nerve equivalent of shingles, but in contrast to vestibular neuritis (VN), it is unclear whether the pathology of HZO is limited to the vestibular nerve (neuritis) or can also involve the brainstem (nucleitis).
Methods: We retrospectively compared brain MRIs of patients with HZO with those of patients with VN to study radiologic changes in the brainstem.
Results: Five of 10 patients with HZO showed signal abnormalities in the vestibular nuclei, which lie in multiple vascular territories, whereas no patients with VN exhibited such findings.
Discussion: HZO may at least in part reflect vestibular nucleitis, as opposed to a pure neuritis.
© 2023 American Academy of Neurology.