[Cytarabine treatment of herpes zoster (author's transl)].

Systemic treatment of herpes zoster becomes possible by cytarabine. Complications of herpes zoster ophthalmicus such as relapsing corneal ulceration, perforation or scarring, secondary glaucoma, Argyll Robertson pupils, extraocular muscle palsies, and optic atrophy, as well as postherpetic neuralgia can be prevented by the use of this drug. For this reason the authors believe treatment with cytarabine to be the therapy of choice in herpes zoster.