[Quantitative results of the brainstem audiometry in middle ear, cochlear, and retrocochlear hearing damage (author's...

After a discussion of the technique and validity of the objective audiometry using acoustically evoked brainstem potentials, we demonstrate the shape of potentials at various locations of the scalp. We compare the objective findings for middle and inner ear hearing losses with the subjective audiogram. Disturbances in the middle ear are marked through a letency shift corresponding to the hearing loss with normal bone conducted reaction. When the cochlea is damaged we notice a quick decrease in amplitude from the loudnesscompensation to the threshold with normal latencies. As examples for retro-cochlear damages we give the cases of a child, retarded after encephalitis, of an infant and of a patient with stato-acoustic neurinoma, whereby also the cochlear, subcortical and cortical potentials are evaluated.