Scientific Reports (Jun 2024)

Intelligent bell facial paralysis assessment: a facial recognition model using improved SSD network

  • Haiping Shi,
  • Yinqiu Fan,
  • Yu Zhang,
  • Xiaowei Li,
  • Yuling Shu,
  • Xinyuan Deng,
  • Yating Zhang,
  • Yunzi Zheng,
  • Jun Yang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63478-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

Read online

Abstract With the continuous progress of technology, the subject of life science plays an increasingly important role, among which the application of artificial intelligence in the medical field has attracted more and more attention. Bell facial palsy, a neurological ailment characterized by facial muscle weakness or paralysis, exerts a profound impact on patients’ facial expressions and masticatory abilities, thereby inflicting considerable distress upon their overall quality of life and mental well-being. In this study, we designed a facial attribute recognition model specifically for individuals with Bell’s facial palsy. The model utilizes an enhanced SSD network and scientific computing to perform a graded assessment of the patients’ condition. By replacing the VGG network with a more efficient backbone, we improved the model’s accuracy and significantly reduced its computational burden. The results show that the improved SSD network has an average precision of 87.9% in the classification of light, middle and severe facial palsy, and effectively performs the classification of patients with facial palsy, where scientific calculations also increase the precision of the classification. This is also one of the most significant contributions of this article, which provides intelligent means and objective data for future research on intelligent diagnosis and treatment as well as progressive rehabilitation.

Keywords