Quantified analysis of facial movement: a reference for clinical applications

François‐Régis Sarhan (1, 2) , Matthieu Olivetto (2, 3) , Khalil Ben Mansour (1) , Cécilia Neiva (4, 5) , Emilien Colin (2) , Baptiste Choteau (1) , Jean‐paul Marie (6) , Sylvie Testelin (3, 2) , Frédéric Marin (1) , Stéphanie Dakpé (3, 2)

1 BMBI - Biomécanique et Bioingénierie
2 CHIMERE - CHirurgie, IMagerie et REgénération tissulaire de l’extrémité céphalique - Caractérisation morphologique et fonctionnelle - UR UPJV 7516
3 CMF et Stomatologie - Chirurgie maxillofaciale et Stomatologie [CHU Amiens]
4 Service de chirurgie plastique et maxillofaciale [CHU Necker]
5 Hôpital Necker - Enfants Malades [AP-HP]
6 GRHVN - Groupe de Recherche sur le Handicap Ventilatoire et Neurologique

Most techniques for evaluating unilateral impairments in facial movement yield subjective measurements. The objective of the present study was to define a reference dataset and develop a visualisation tool for clinical assessments. In this prospective study, a motion capture system was used to quantify facial movements in 30 healthy adults and 2 patients. We analysed the displacements of 105 reflective markers placed on the participant's face during five movements (M1-M5). For each marker, the primary endpoint was the maximum amplitude of displacement from the static position (M0) in an analysis of variance. The measurement precision was 0.1 mm. Significant displacements of markers were identified for M1-M5, and displacement patterns were defined. The patients and age-matched healthy participants were compared with regard to the amplitude of displacement. We created a new type of radar plot to visually represent the diagnosis and facilitate effective communication between medical professionals. In proof-of-concept experiments, we collected quantitative data on patients with facial palsy and created a patient-specific radar plot. Our new protocol for clinical facial motion capture ("quantified analysis of facial movement", QAFM) was accurate and should thus facilitate the long-term clinical follow-up of patients with facial palsy. To take account of the limitations affecting the comparison with the healthy side, we created a dataset of healthy facial movements; our method might therefore be applicable to other conditions in which movements on one or both sides of the face are impaired. The patient-specific radar plot enables clinicians to read and understand the results rapidly.

Mots clés: facial anatomy; facial asymmetry; facial expression; facial movement; facial muscles; kinematics; mimics; motion analysis; motion capture; three-dimensional

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie

François‐Régis Sarhan, Matthieu Olivetto, Khalil Ben Mansour, Cécilia Neiva, Emilien Colin, et al.. Quantified analysis of facial movement: a reference for clinical applications. Clinical Anatomy, 2023, 36 (3), pp.492-502. ⟨10.1002/ca.23999⟩. ⟨hal-03936727⟩