Decompressive craniectomy (DC), which is beneficial in patients with malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction, may indirectly relieve the mass effect, decrease perihematomal tissue pressure, improve blood flow, reduce secondary brain damage and improve outcome without further damage to the brain due to surgery. Consequently, DC has been established as a standard surgical therapy for patients with malignant MCA infarction with a level of evidence grade 2. Decompressive craniectomy for acute stroke is one of the most effective treatments available: the number needed to be treated to save one patient's life is 2. Decompressive craniectomy is also a standard therapeutic procedure in patients with ICH due to sinus venous thrombosis, herpes encephalitis, or ruptured intracranial aneurysms. In patients with traumatic brain injury DC is a standard therapy to reduce elevated intracranial pressure. The investigators and others assessed whether DC is feasible and beneficial in patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage. The investigators showed in a previous retrospective trial that DC in patients with supratentorial ICH is safe and feasible and may reduce mortality compared to matched controls with best medical treatment alone. The limitations of the feasibility trial are its retrospective design, the small sample size and the inhomogeneity of the patient cohort with respect to the origin of ICH. Furthermore, in the feasibility trial the decision for DC was taken on an individual basis rather than according to a strict protocol, introducing a potential selection bias. Nevertheless, the preliminary results are encouraging. Recently, three human trials, one animal study, one meta-analysis, and one original contribution have been published on this topic. However, no prospective randomized trial has ever assessed whether DC without hematoma evacuation in patients with acute ICH improves outcome. All recent studies showed promising results and all call for the initiation of a randomized controlled trial.