Abdominal Bulging Due to Abdominal Muscle Palsy Secondary to Herpes Zoster: A Report of a Rare Case

A 59-year-old man visited our hospital for examination of left-sided abdominal bulging. About a week earlier, he had developed an abdominal skin rash and was diagnosed with herpes zoster. Computed tomography excluded intra-abdominal organic disease and true hernia. We diagnosed the patient with abdominal muscle palsy, i.e., abdominal pseudohernia, secondary to varicella zoster reactivation. Abdominal pseudohernia is a rare complication of herpes zoster but is not life-threatening. Nevertheless, physicians should keep this clinical entity in mind when examining a patient presenting with abdominal wall bulging.