Initial assessment of facial nerve paralysis based on motion analysis using an optical flow method

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Rehabilitation Technology

Background:

• Facial paralysis, particularly from Bell's Palsy, significantly impacts quality of life.
• Accurate and objective assessment of facial paralysis severity is crucial for effective treatment planning and monitoring rehabilitation progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate an initial assessment method for classifying facial paralysis severity.
• To utilize facial landmark motion analysis via Optical Flow (OF) algorithm for objective grading.
• To correlate the proposed scoring system with the established House-Brackmann (HB) grading system.

Main Methods:

• Video recordings of facial exercises from normal and Bell's Palsy subjects were analyzed.
• Facial landmarks were tracked using the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) method.
• A novel scoring system based on motion analysis and area measurement was developed and applied.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully classified and categorized paralysis severity according to the House-Brackmann (HB) system.
• Promising results were obtained in correlating motion analysis scores with clinical grading.
• The system demonstrated potential for objective and quantitative assessment of facial movement deficits.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a quantitative approach to assessing facial paralysis severity.
• This technique may significantly contribute to the development of improved rehabilitation programs for patients with facial paralysis.
• Objective assessment tools are vital for personalized and effective patient care in neurology and physical therapy.