Clinical assessment of a new computerised objective method of measuring facial palsy.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the results using a new computerised objective method of assessing the degree of facial palsy with the results obtained using traditional clinical methods.

DESIGN

Prospective computerised pixel change analysis and clinical evaluation of videos.

SETTING

Tertiary referral centre.

PARTICIPANTS

Subjects with varying degrees of unilateral facial palsy.

METHODS

Comparison of the results obtained from an objective computerised method, the Glasgow Facial Palsy Scale, with the standard subjective clinical methods of the House-Brackmann Scale, Yanagihara, Sunnybrook Grading Scales and the objective clinical Stennert-Limberg-Frentrup Scale.

RESULTS

Statistical analysis of the results from the objective computerised system indicated that there is an averagely strong correlation with the results from the House-Brackmann (Spearman's coefficient of 0.64), Sunnybrook (Pearson coefficient of 0.7) and Stennert-Limberg-Frentrup Scale (Pearson coefficient of 0.65), and it therefore has the ability to produce consistent results that agree with traditional clinical methods. It has a strong correlation with the Yanagihara Grading Scale (Pearson coefficient of 0.72) indicating that it may also have the ability to detect and record variations in the different regions of the face.

CONCLUSION

This new computerised objective method of assessing the degree of facial palsy shows promise as a standardised objective method of assessing the degree of facial palsy.