Abstract: Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of Simple Facial Grading System (SFGS) in patients with idiopathic facial palsy. Methods 80 patients with idiopathic facial palsy were evaluated with the House-Brackmann (H-B) scale and SFGS before and every 2 weeks after treatment until 12 weeks or recovery. They were assessed by 2 testers before and 2 weeks after treatment. The results were analyzed and compared. Results The Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.93 of SFGS, and 0.74 of H-B scale. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between testers was 0.84 or higher of SFGS, and 0.77 or higher of H-B scale. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between SFGS and H-B scale was 0.73, Kappa coefficients was 0.81 for grade II, 0.74 for grade III, 0.49 for grade IV, 0.66 for grade V, and 0.92 for grade VI. The scores of SFGS and H-B scale positively correlated with the recovery time. Conclusion SFGS is a kind of evaluation for peripheral facial paralysis with satisified reliability and validity, which can be applied to evaluate the severity and outcome during acute stage.

Key words: idiopathic facial palsy, Simple Facial Grading System, House-Brackmann scale, reliability, validity