Surgical Unit, 7th Avenue, Mutare. EAP was used to treat 4 patients with acute Herpes zoster and 4 with post-herpetic neuralgia. EAP was effective in most cases. This treatment should be instigated as soon as possible. AP , whose side effects are minimal, merits a trial, since treatment of Herpes zoster by drugs is expensive and not routinely successful.
Postherpetic neuralgia is a perplexing disorder in which pain develops due to herpes zoster.
It is a common cause of neuropathic pain and may render its effects especially on the elderly and immunocompromised. Once established, postherpetic neuralgia is resistant to most treatment modalities and can lead to much despair. Many therapeutic approaches have been tried, most with varying results. This review describes clinical manifestations including allodynia, hyperaesthesia and anaesthesia. It also reviews pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment modalities including a review of anaesthetic nerve blocks, neurostimulation, AP and surgical techniques.