[Diagnostic of brain death].

Despite of some discussion, there is general acceptance of the brain death criterion. As for Germany, there is a quasi legal regulation (TPG §16): two physicians with a longstanding experience in the management of patients with severe brain lesions are personally responsive for the diagnostic procedure lege artis. No false positive diagnosis has been published, hitherto. Before any organ explantation, diagnosis of brain death is mandatory. Nevertheless, discussions on brain death should not be instrumentalized by circumstances of organ explantation. Brain death should be part of a good educational background, to anticipate reflections free from the emotional binding of an acute incident. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.