[Rare differential diagnosis of a radicular spine syndrome: herpes zoster radiculitis]

We report on the case of a 66-year-old patient who was hospitalized because of intractable low back pain radiating into the right leg. Leg pain was accompanied by a numbness and muscle weakness which was clearly assigned to the L5 dermatome. Concerning the patient's medical history a nucleotomy L4/5 and a osteomyelofibrosis were known. MRI of the lumbar spine revealed a multisegmental stenosis which was pronounced on the level L4/5. One day after admission of the patient to the hospital a typical zoster exanthema involving the L5 dermatome appeared. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was detected in the fluid of the vesicular skin lesions by polymerase chain reaction. Intravenous administration of aciclovir lead to rapid decrease of pain and exanthema. A few months later the patient died because of an acute myeloid leukemia as a complication of the known osteomyelofibrosis. This case report shows that a herpes zoster infection can imitate a radicular spine syndrome usually caused by degenerative changes. Especially in immunocompromised patients, a zoster radiculitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of radiculopathy. VZV infection might also occur without skin lesions (zoster sine herpete) so that serological assays for the early detection of virus DNA can be useful.