Auditory-nerve potentials from ear canals of patients with otologic problems.

Summary--The feasibility of making rountine measurements of human auditory-nerve potentials in an office environment is demonstrated. Using a portable device for stimulus generating and response recording, auditory-nerve potentials are recorded from subjects with normal and abnormal hearing by means of an electrode placed on the skin of the ear canal. The results can be compared with those of others obtained under laboratory conditions. Preliminary results indicate that in many instances, the nature of the hearing deficit is related to the latency and size of the click-evoked auditory-nerve potentials. The precise relationships between nerve responses and specific disease conditions are still difficult to formulate.