Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Facial Nerve Palsy

To develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for evaluating and managing peripheral facial nerve palsy within the Korean healthcare system.

A multidisciplinary guideline committee-comprising otolaryngologists, a neurologist, a neurosurgeon, a rehabilitation medicine specialist, an ophthalmologist, a plastic surgeon, and a methodology expert-conducted de novo systematic reviews. Literature searches were performed in MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed through November 30, 2024. Evidence was appraised using the GRADE methodology, and nine key clinical questions (KQs) were formulated using the PICO framework. Recommendations were finalized through structured consensus requiring at least 70% agreement. A patient preference survey (n = 51) informed value considerations. The draft guideline underwent external review by seven independent experts.