Diagnosis is usually made on the basis of history and physical examination.
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics, and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnosis in case of complications.
- Computed tomography of the skull (cranial CT, cranial CT or cCT) – if meningoencephalitis ()/myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord) is suspected.
- Computed tomography of the spine – if meningoencephalitis/myelitis is suspected.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the skull (cranial MRI, cranial MRI or cMRI) – if meningoencephalitis/myelitis is suspected.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine – if meningoencephalitis/myelitis is suspected.
- Abdominal ultrasonography (ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs) – if hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) is suspected.
- X-ray of the thorax (X-ray thorax / chest), in two planes – if pneumonia (pneumonia) is suspected.
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT): imaging technique and is used in ophthalmology to examine the retina (retina), vitreous and optic nerve (optic nerve) – in zoster ophthalmicus.
- Visual evoked potentials (VEP): diagnostics of pathological changes in both ophthalmology (ophthalmology) and neurology (medicine of the nervous system) – in zoster ophthalmicus.
- Acoustic evoked potentials (AEP): change in the electroencephalogram caused by a sound event – in zoster oticus.
- Electroencephalography (EEG; recording of the electrical activity of the brain) – in zoster-associated CNS disorders.
- Extracranial/transcranial Doppler and duplex sonography (ECD/TCD) – for zoster-associated CNS disorders.
