title: Reliability of the House and Brackmann grading system for facial palsy.
abstract: The House and Brackmann grading system has been recommended as a universal standard for assessing the degree of facial palsy. This study examined the inter-observer reliability of this system. Three observers assigned a grade to each patient, examined independently, on the same day. Forty patients with a unilateral facial palsy of varying aetiology and severity were assessed. Of the 120 judgements, eight were in dispute, by a maximum of one grade, giving an inter-observer reliability of 93 per cent. We conclude that the House and Brackmann grading system is a simple and robust method of assessing facial function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Harries
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Baguley
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Moffat
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005149:Facial Expression; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods