App-based diagnostics of the course of facial paralysis – results of a pilot study

Introduction For an optimal assessment of the course of a facial paralysis and the effectiveness of therapeutic measures, a longitudinal diagnosis that is as objective as possible is useful. Common clinical scores for quantifying facial paralysis are usually only collected by specialists at irregular intervals, so that there is a certain data gap here. In preliminary work, an app prototype was developed for the mobile operating system iOS, with which those affected can carry out an automated facial nerve diagnosis themselves within a few seconds using a depth-mapping camera on their smartphone.

Materials & Methods As part of a pilot study, 20 patients with unilateral facial paralysis of various etiologies were included between 09/2021 and 10/2022. The app prototype for the regular survey of the Digital Facial Index (DFI) was made available to the patients on loan devices or their own device after appropriate training for four weeks each.

Results Five of the included patients performed the diagnostics only three times or less, the remaining 15 patients used them on an average of 13 days. With regular use, the improvement trend of the facial paralysis could be easily understood based on the measurement data. The DPI data also showed a high correlation with the Stennert index and the House-Brackmann scale.

Discussion The results of the pilot study show that an independent, app-based survey of the DFI by patients is possible to diagnose the course of a unilateral facial paralysis. The practitioner and patient can thus potentially observe the individual development of the clinical picture over time in an easily comprehensible manner and possibly draw conclusions about the effects of the therapy.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023