EN
Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) is an electrodiagnostic test used as an alternative to behavioral testing in assessing auditory function in dogs. The application of BAEP is useful for accurately diagnosing the type of deafness in a dog. This article describes current knowledge regarding the use of BAEP in dogs, including the technical basics of the method, effects of pharmacologic agents, stimuli and recording factors on BAEP, as well as common applications of BAEP in dogs. Although BAEP is most suited for detecting neural lesions in nerve VIII and the auditory portion of the brainstem, it can be used indirectly to form conclusions about the likelihood of conductive lesions in the outer and middle ear, as well as neural lesions higher in the central nervous system than the auditory portion of the brainstem. This method is useful as an objective test in the diagnosis of inherited and pigment-associated deafness, as well.