Reliability of the House and Brackmann grading system for facial palsy.
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.
Evans
R A
RA
Department of Otolaryngology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.
Harries
M L
ML
Baguley
D M
DM
Moffat
D A
DA
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