Computerized quantitative dynamic analysis of facial motion in the paralyzed and synkinetic face.

Diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and the neurobiology of recovery of facial paralysis has been impeded by the inability to quantitate facial movement objectively. The purpose of this paper is to report our preliminary results in the study of the paralyzed face using a newly developed computerized quantitative dynamic analysis system. Five normal volunteer subjects, and 17 patients with facial paralysis or paresis, from a wide range of etiologies, were analyzed utilizing the computerized analysis system; eight of these patients had synkinesis. Raw data image-change intensity: duration curves, numeric and graphic displays of curve parameter descriptive statistics, and rank order correlation analyses showed high levels of correlation between the computerized facial motion analysis and the House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system and a clinical grading scale for synkinesis. These data suggest that it is possible to develop a computerized image-difference analysis system that approximates the human ability to access facial movement and, additionally, deliver an equal-interval continuous quantitative data scale dynamic over a spectrum of time during facial motion.