Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Apr 2005
Comparative StudyReliability of the "Sydney," "Sunnybrook," and "House Brackmann" facial grading systems to assess voluntary movement and synkinesis after facial nerve paralysis.
To investigate the extent of within-system reliability and between-system correlation for the "Sydney" and "Sunnybrook" systems of grading facial nerve paralysis, and to examine the interobserver reliability and agreement of the "House Brackmann" grading system. ⋯ For clinical grading of voluntary movement, there is good correlation between ratings given on the Sydney and Sunnybrook systems, and within each system there is good reliability. The assessment of synkinesis was far less reliable within, and less related between, systems. Although the reliability of the House Brackmann system was found to be high, examination of individual grades revealed some wide variation between trained observers.