To what extent do evaluations of facial paralysis by physicians coincide with self-evaluations by patients: comparison of the Yanagihara method, the House-Brackmann method, and self-evaluation by patients.
OBJECTIVE
To understand to what extent evaluations of facial paralysis by physicians coincide with self-evaluations by patients.


METHODS
Prospective clinical study.


METHODS
One hundred thirty-one patients (68 male patients and 63 female patients) with facial paralysis were included in the study.


METHODS
The relationship between the evaluation of facial paralysis using the Yanagihara system, the House-Brackmann grading system, and self-evaluation by patients was studied.


METHODS
The paralysis scores and grade determined by physicians using the above two systems were well correlated with the self-evaluations by patients. RESULTS The evaluation of subjective symptoms differed among individuals. Even patients who were evaluated as either completely paralyzed or cured according to the Yanagihara and House-Brackmann methods did not always rate their subjective symptoms as being consistent with these scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Evaluations with the two systems correlated significantly with self-evaluations by patients on the whole. These two methods of evaluation are considered appropriate not only for physicians but also for patients. In contrast, some discrepancies were observed. This point should be taken into account in routine patient care.
Ikeda
Minoru
M
Department of Otolaryngology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. mikeda@med.nihon-u.ac.jp
Nakazato
Hidehisa
H
Hiroshige
Kouichi
K
Abiko
Yuzuru
Y
Sugiura
Mutsumi
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016353:Self-Examination; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires