Shoulder-hand syndrome and herpes zoster: report of a case with signs of vasodilatation and vasoconstriction in the same hand.

Abstract

SummaryA case report is given of a woman of 65, who developed first a painful shoulder, then a herpes zoster brachialis of the 6th and perhaps the 5th cervical root, and finally a reflex dystrophy of the hand of the right superior extremity. An osteoarthritis of the cervical spine probably was the primary lesion. A partial remission took place in 8 months. During the acute stage of the disease there was evidence of vasospasm in the thumb, the cutaneous sensibility of which was impaired, and of vasodilatation of the fingers. Two years later the whole hand was found to be colder than the healthy one. In the discussion the case is seen in the light of the hypotheses of Livingston and de Takats concerning vasomotor disturbances in reflex dystrophy.