Three cases of herpes zoster of the auricle and external ear canal are presented and discussed; the ages of the patients were respectively, a man 43, a man 62 and a woman 50.
In all cases, several herpetic blisters on" the anterior surface of the auricle associated with facial paralysis on the same side were observed. There was, however, no definite evidence of cochlear or vestibular involvement.
For the treatment, local physiotherapy and systemic medications such as aureomycin, nicotinic acid, thiamine, aronamine and prednisolone are used. Exact effectiveness of these medications in herpes zoster oticus should further be evaluated in large series of cases.
Almost complete recovery occurred within 2-4 months in all of the presented cases.
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