[The use of short-latency auditory evoked potentials in the diagnosis of acoustic neurinomas].

The short-latent acoustic evoked potentials in patients with unilateral neurosensory hypoacusis due to the tumor of the acoustic nerve or other etiology were recorded. It was found that the patients had no potential in the diseased area in monaural sound stimulation, but binaural sound stimulation enabled these potentials to be recorded. With this, the short-latent acoustic evoked potentials in patients with verified neurinoma showed a reduction in the third wave to the point of its disappearance. Those in patients whose neurosensory hypoacusis were unassociated with the development of neoplasms in the area of the acoustic nerve involve the third wave whose magnitude did not differ from that recorded in the examinees with otologically normal hearing. The authors propose to measure the third wave of the short-latent acoustic evoked potential recorded in binaural sound stimulation as a possible screening of persons at a high risk for neurinoma among patients with unilateral neurosensory hypoacusis.