Background
PFP, Peripheral facial paresis, motor impairments, Bell’s palsy
DISORDER
Peripheral facial paresis (PFP) is a common disorder, which often affects adults between 40 and 50, with no gender predominance. PFP results from an injury to the facial nerve, from its pontine nucleus to its neuromuscular junctions; its severity depends on lesion location, cause and degree of injury. Seventy percent of cases are idiopathic, called Bell’s palsy, with a lifetime incidence of 1 in 60 people [Regarding clinical evaluation of PFP, heterogeneity in assessments makes comparisons between various interventions difficult [In terms of rehabilitation, evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCT) is still insufficient, partly because of this lack of precise and objective quantification tools for facial motor function. Most publications on facial rehabilitation pertain to acute and subacute stages of PFP and involve prescriptions for physical therapy and/or speech therapy [To our knowledge, there is no RCT analyzing motor strengthening in chronic stages (> 1 year since injury), when motor impairments are often considered permanent [The government-funded VISAGE project is a French multicentric RCT in which 82 patients with chronic stable unilateral PFP of any cause will be randomized into two six-month rehabilitation programs – motor strengthening through Guided Self-rehabilitation Contract 