Standard protocol approvals, registrations, and patient consents

The Fukuoka Stroke Registry is a multicenter, hospital-based registry of acute stroke patients. Kyushu University Hospital and 6 stroke centers (National Hospital Organization Kyushu Medical Center, National Hospital Organization Fukuoka-Higashi Medical Center, Fukuoka Red Cross Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, Steel Memorial Yawata Hospital, and the Japan Labor Health and Welfare Organization Kyushu Rosai Hospital) in Fukuoka, Japan, participate in this registry. Detailed information about the study design, data collection, and harmonization in the registry has been described previously.^15,16 The institutional review boards of the ethics committees in all the hospitals approved the study design. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients or family members. All patients underwent brain CT, magnetic resonance imaging, or both, during hospitalization. Stroke was defined as the sudden onset of a nonconvulsive and focal neurologic deficit on the basis of brain imaging findings.