[Functional imaging of the auditory cortex: role of magnetoencephalography].

We present the different methods for detecting cerebral activity in the auditory cortex. Positron emission tomography (PET) and functional MRI (fMRI) measure such activity indirectly by calculating the blood flow rate or the consumption of oxygen. The direct methods of detection record the electrical or magnetic activity by eletroencephalography (EEG), or magnetoencephalography (MEG), respectively.

Beware of dogs licking ears.

A patient with right-sided chronic purulent otorrhoea developed meningitis due to Pasteurella multocida transmitted by a dog that frequently licked his ear. We suggest that patients with a perforated tympanic membrane should avoid being licked on their ears by animals.

Sensitivity of auditory brainstem response in acoustic neuroma screening.

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) is the reference screening technique for acoustic neuromas, but because of a few false negatives and the increasing performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), its role as the standard method has been questioned. We assessed sensitivity of screening tests in 89 patients with surgically proven acoustic neuromas. Sensitivity of ABR was 92%; 94% for extracanalicular neuromas and 77% for intracanalicular neuromas.