Abstract
Development of a noninvasive intensive care system calls for the use of evoked potentials (EPs) as a means of diagnosing traumatic head-injured patients. The experiment entails surgically placing two subarachnoid bolts and a subdural balloon through the skull to simulate a subdural hematoma. Using various levels of intracranial pressure (ICP) and/or different sizes of balloons, auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded from a rabbit. Six positive peak latencies ($P_1 - P_6$) and five negative peak latencies ($N_l- N_5$) were extracted from an averaged AEP waveform. Multiple regression analyses were performed for determining. a relationship between the ICP and AEP peak latencies. The results indicate that a major correlation of ch, mges on AEP peak latencies is due to mechanical forces of a mass (inflated balloon simulating a hematoma) in the distortion of the brain matter rather than increased ICP itself.