Auditory brainstem potentials in man evoked by electrical stimulation of the round window.

In normal subjects, round-window electrical stimulation provides a sound sensation and supplies brainstem-evoked responses whose form is just the same of those evoked by sound stimulation. This electrical stimulation also provides a sound sensation in more than 90% of cases of total deafness, which means that at least a few auditory nerve fibres are still present. Thus, this test is indispensable when considering surgical rehabilitation with a multichannel cochlear implant.