Herpetic geometric glossitis

To the Editor: In their report on herpetic geometric glossitis, Grossman et al. (Dec. 16 issue)¹ described linear fissures on the dorsum of the tongue as a characteristic of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 infection in immunocompromised patients. According to the authors, the fissures can present in longitudinal, crossed, or branched geometric patterns. We would like to point out that HSV infection of the cornea involves a characteristic branching pattern of the corneal epithelium called a dendrite². Similar to the tongue fissures, the corneal dendrites represent areas of lost epithelium with concomitant superficial ulceration of the underlying corneal.