Zoster sine herpete

Herpes zoster (HZ) (Greek: zoster – girdle) (shingles in lay terms): painful vesicular cutaneous eruptions caused by the herpes varicella zoster virus (VZV) (the etiologic agent of chickenpox, a herpes virus that is distinct from herpes simplex virus). It occurs in a dermatomal distribution over one side of the thorax in ≈ 65% of cases (rarely, infections occur without vesicles, called zoster sine herpete).

Ramsay Hunt syndrome can also occur in the absence of a skin rash, condition known as zoster sine herpete.