[Diagnosis of brain death].

From the medical, the juridical as well as the theological point of view brain death represents the death of an individual. According to the German Chamber of Physicians, acute brain damage with coma, absence of all brainstem reflexes and apnoe allows the diagnosis of cerebral death, if repetition of the physical examination after distinct time intervals documents the irreversibility of this state. Additional investigations such as EEG, evoked potentials (BAEP), transcranial doppler sonography, brain scintigraphy or cerebral angiography allow to shorten this period if electrocortical silence, absence of waves 3-5 of BAEP or the cessation of cerebral perfusion has been proven. Strict observation of these criteria is mandatory for the diagnosis of brain death.