[Rarefaction-pressure problem of acoustic stimuli from the neuro-otologic viewpoint]

The differences in response pattern of early auditory evoked potentials (EAEP) depending on the two phases (rarefaction & condensation) are well accepted. There are, however, intricacies when EAEP are applied in the otological and neurological fields. Wave V guarantees a fairly good threshold determination. Rarefaction stimuli, however, tend to indicate the threshold more precisely than condensation stimuli. In neurological application, there are different patterns of waves II to V according to the phase, so that different sites of lesions may result. The responses due to rarefaction and condensation stimuli have to be known in the otological and neurological application of the test.