Loss of the electrophysiological function of auditory nerves, most frequently associated with surgical removal of bilateral tumours of the vestibulocochlear nerve leads to complete loss of auditory perception. A new possibility how to restore at least partly auditory perceptions in thus affected subjects is an auditory implant which stimulates electrically the auditory pathway at the level of the auditory nuclei and thus bypasses the conduction block between the cochlea and auditory nuclei. The optimal place for the stimulating electrodes into the area of the lateral recess is facilitated by monitoring of electrically evoked auditory stem responses. The authors summarize the basic principles of the method and present results of their own intraoperative monitoring.

        Key words: evoked auditory stempotentials (ABR), electrically evoked auditory stemresponses (EABR), auditory stem implant (ABI).