Late cortical auditory potentials evoked by electrostimulation in deaf and cochlear implant patients.

Deaf or residually hearing patients without sufficient auditory communication by conventional hearing aids are candidates for the implantation of a cochlear prosthesis. In addition to objective audiometry (electrophysiological evaluation and assessment of the degree and type of hearing loss), preoperative electrostimulation tests should be performed. In so doing, it is reasonable to employ late cortical potentials for preoperative patient selection as well as for postoperative follow-ups. In contrast to early potentials (such as, brain stem evoked potentials), late cortical potentials offer technical, physiological, medical and psychological advantages. This approach to testing has been used successfully in 70 patients (including children over the age of 3 years).