Stability of benefits of mime therapy in sequelae of facial nerve paresis during a 1-year period

Abstract

Objective: To assess the stability of benefits of mime therapy, a modality of physiotherapy for patients with facial nerve paresis, during a period of 1 year.

Study design: A prospective follow-up build on a randomized clinical trial in which a treatment group is compared with a control group.

Setting: Physiotherapy outpatient department.

Patients: Forty-eight patients with a history of a facial nerve paresis of 9 months or more.

Intervention: Mime therapy.

Method: Sequelae of facial nerve paresis were measured using the same measurement instruments as in the randomized clinical trial--the Sunnybrook and the House-Brackmann (HB) Facial Grading Systems, the lip length and pout indices, a stiffness scale, and the Facial Disability Index. Stability of outcome level and of interpatient differences is analyzed.

Results: Of the 46 patients who completed the follow-ups, repeated-measures analyses of covariance revealed no significant differences in the average scores nor significant trends of the posttherapy measurements, except for the pout index and the Facial Disability Index-social. For six sequelae (except HB), 95% of patient-sequel combinations showed immediate improvement after mime therapy, for HB grades this was 74%. Where sequelae improved, the posttherapy individual courses (T2-T3-T4) showed, also for HB, in majority absence of deterioration; benefits obtained were stable.

Conclusion: Mime therapy is effective in patients with facial nerve paresis and benefits are stable 1 year after therapy.