Which syndrome involves the auditory canal and is caused by the herpes zoster virus?

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is characterized by the combination of facial nerve palsy and a rash associated with a herpes zoster infection that affects the ear and auditory canal. This condition emerges when the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, reactivates in the nerves, particularly affecting the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) as it travels through the temporal bone. The presence of vesicular lesions in the ear canal or around the auricle is a hallmark sign of this syndrome, which distinguishes it from other conditions.

In contrast, Bell's palsy refers to an idiopathic facial nerve paralysis without associated vesicular lesions, and it does not involve the auditory canal or relate to any viral infection such as herpes zoster. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a post-infectious neurological disorder characterized by ascending paralysis and does not specifically involve the auditory canal or herpes zoster. Horner's syndrome results from lesions in the sympathetic pathways and presents with ptosis, miosis, and anhidrosis, but does not involve the ears or associations with herpes zoster.

Therefore, the identification of Ramsay Hunt syndrome through its distinct clinical features, especially the involvement of the auditory canal and the viral etiology, firmly supports it as the correct