Trial reportClinical rehabilitation2022
The "Mirror Effect Plus Protocol" for acute Bell's palsy: A randomized controlled trial with 1-year follow-up.
Trial report in Clinical rehabilitation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Treatment Approaches for Altered Facial Expression: A Systematic Review in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy and Other Neurological Diseases.Journal of neuromuscular diseases · 2024Pooled it
- Predicting recovery in Bell's palsy: the impact of early rehabilitation and prognostic indicators.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Clinical features, evaluation, and management of speech and swallow complications of facial paralysis: A scoping review.JPRAS open · 2026Review
- Short-term clinical outcomes associated with a standardized multicomponent facial rehabilitation program in acute or early-subacute peripheral facial nerve palsy: a prospective controlled cohort study.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Article
- Article
- Synchronous surface electromyography as objective method to evaluate the outcome of a biofeedback training in patients with facial synkinesis.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Factors that facilitate or hinder the use of the facial rehabilitation webtool MEPP 2.0: a comparative study in the Quebecer health system.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- The Use of Mirror Therapy in Peripheral Seventh Nerve Palsy: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Measuring the Potential Effects of Mirror Therapy Added to the Gold Standard Facial Neuromuscular Retraining in Patients With Chronic Peripheral Facial Palsy: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- A review of research progress of mirror therapy in peripheral nerve injury.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo study the effects of the "Mirror Effect Plus Protocol" (MEPP) on global facial function in acute and severe Bell's Palsy.
designSingle blind and randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of basic counseling (control group) versus MEPP (experimental group) over one year.
settingOutpatient clinic following referrals from Emergency or Otorhinolaryngology Departments. SUBJECTS: 40 patients (
interventionsThe experimental group received the MEPP program (motor imagery + manipulations + facial mirror therapy) while the control group received basic counseling. Both groups met the clinician monthly until 6 months and at one-year post-onset for assessments. OUTCOME MEASURES: Facial symmetry, synkinesis, and quality of life were measured using standardized scales. Perceived speech intelligibility was rated before and after therapy by naïve judges.
resultsDescriptive statistics demonstrated improvements in favor of the MEPP for each measured variable. Significant differences were found for one facial symmetry score (House-Brackmann 2.0 mean (SD) = 7.40 (3.15) for controls versus 5.1 (1.44) for MEPP), for synkinesis measures (
conclusionThe MEPP demonstrates promising long-term results when started during the acute phase of moderately severe to total Bell's Palsy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.