Results: At 6 months, mortality is significantly lower with 12 % (compared to 23 % in the IST trial) and only 39 % (67 %) of the patients are dead or dependent. Stroke severity is similar as in other study populations. Median LOS is 15 days in the acute clinic and 39 days in the rehabilitation institution. The psychosocial outcome compares favorably to a matched control group.