Clinical and radiological features of 43 patients admitted for ganglionic (21) and thalamic (22) haemorrhages were studied to ascertain the factors that would determine prognosis in the acute stage of the illness. Nineteen patients died, 16 of them in the first week. The adverse clinical factors were an altered state of consciousness, decorticate/decerebrate posturing, ataxic respiration, abnormalities of gaze and presence of bilateral Babinski's sign. Adverse radiological factors were the presence of thalamic haemorrhage of 3 cm or more, intraventricular spread of the haemorrhage and midline shift of 0.5 cm of more. The significance of these findings is discussed.