Background and purpose: Cervical artery dissections, which may be traumatic or spontaneous, account for a significant proportion of strokes in the young. Antithrombotic therapy is the mainstay of treatment, but new oral anticoagulants could be an alternative treatment to the optimal strategy of anticoagulation followed by antiplatelet drugs.
Summary of case: We report the case of a 40-year-old patient with a spontaneous vertebral artery dissection who developed a cerebellar ischemic stroke, who had a favorable outcome and complete vessel recanalization after three months of treatment with the oral factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban.
Conclusion: New oral anticoagulant could constitute an alternative and new therapeutic option in cervical artery dissections.
Keywords: Anticoagulation; stroke; vertebrobasilar disease.