The authors explore the correlation between the neuroradiologic and clinical patterns of "subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy" (SAE) or Binswanger's disease. The typical neuroradiologic pattern has been found in 62 of the 1804 CT scans of the department's archive. Available patients were enrolled for neuropsychologic evaluation. The authors point out that there is no correlation whatever between severity of the CT pattern and findings of psychological decline. Therefore SAE may be considered merely a neuroradiologic pattern. The discrepancy between neuroradiologic and clinical pattern depends on the individual history of every single patient as well as on the quality of the neuronal cells involved in vascular pathology. It may in fact be thought that the injury to command neurones plays a fundamental role in bringing about the psychopathologic picture.