Ramsay-Hunt syndrome in a preschool infant

The Ramsay-Hunt syndrome affects mostly adults. The recovery of facial nerve function, according to recent literature, seems better than has been generally accepted. A small number of children with herpes zoster oticus have been reported. We describe a case of Ramsay-Hunt syndrome in a healthy 3 1/2-year-old girl. She still had an obvious facial palsy after 12 months. Three out of 6 reported children with herpes zoster oticus have had a slow recovery of the facial nerve function. This suggests a less favorable prognosis in children than in adults. Although not successful in this case, acyclovir should be tried early in the course of the disease.