[Evoked brain stem potentials in cases of traumatic coma of: value in determining the degree of brain stem dysfunction (author's transl)].

Auditory brainstem potentials were recorded in 22 comatose patients in whom the level of brainstem dysfunction was defined by the clinical assessment of brainstem reflexes and posture. The patients with cortico-subcortical or diencephalic levels showed normal brainstem potentials. The other patients showed a relationship between the abnormalities of the different components of the brainstem potentials and the clinical levels of brainstem dysfunction caused by the rostro-caudal evolution. Alteration of wave V seemed to be related to a midbrain dysfunction, alteration of wave III to a pontine dysfunction and alteration of waves I and II to a lower brainstem dysfunction.