We studied two patients with large cerebellar haemorrhages, who were conscious on admission and did not deteriorate during the following days. Surgical decompression was not performed and the patients regained their former level of activity, except for moderate persisting ataxia. We suggest that cerebellar haemorrhage may have a benign spontaneous outcome, more often than previously assumed from autopsy series. The main selection criteria for surgery is an impaired state of consciousness and evidence of neurological worsening. Taken alone, the size of the haemorrhage on computerized tomography is not a reliable criterion for surgery.