[Significance of early acoustic evoked potentials in the diagnosis of brain death].

Tests of early acoustic evoked potentials in 49 patients in whom clinical and EEG criteria indicated brain death demonstrated a bilateral loss of brainstem-generated components III to V in 12.6%, a loss of the components II-V in 16.8% and a loss of all early acoustic evoked potentials in 47.4%. This method, practicable in an intensive care unit, seems thus suitable for demonstrating loss of brainstem function as demanded for diagnosis of brain death.