Basal ganglia haemorrhage is a common form of intracerebral haemorrhage, and usually as a result of poorly controlled long standing hypertension. The stigmata of chronic hypertensive encephalopathy are often present (see cerebral microhaemorrhages).
Other sites of hypertensive haemorrhages are the pons and the cerebellum. Lobar haemorrhages are also encountered but are more frequently associated with amyloid angiopathy