A case of vertebral artery dissection and consequent basilar artery thrombosis in a 6-year-old patient is reported. The patient was treated with subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin at therapeutic doses (enoxaparin, 100 IU/kg twice daily) for 3 weeks, then reduced to 2,000 IU/day for 3 more weeks. After this time a magnetic resonance angiogram was obtained that showed complete recanalization of the left basilar artery. Enoxaparin proved to be a safe and useful therapy for thrombosis accompanying vertebral artery dissection.
1. Hart RG, Easton JD. Dissections of cervical and cerebral arteries. Neurol Clin North Am1983;1:255-255.
2.
2. Khurana DS, Bonnemann CG, Dooling EC, et al. Vertebral artery dissection: Issues in diagnosis and management Pediatr Neurol1996;14:255-255.
3.
3. Pitter JH, French JH, PeBenito R, et al. Vertebrobasilar occlusion complicating nonpenetrating cranicocervical trauma in a child. J Child Neurol1990;5:219-219.
4.
4. Garg BP, Ottinger CJ, Smith RR, et al. Strokes in children due to vertebral artery trauma. Neurology1993;43:2555-2555.
5.
5. Schievinck WI, Mokri B, Piepgras DG. Spontaneous dissections of cervicocephalic arteries in childhood and adolescence. Neurology1994;44:1607-1607.
6.
6. Schievinck WI, Mokri B, O'Fallon M. Recurrent spontaneous cervical artery dissection. N Engl J Med1994;6:393-393.
7.
7. Lyrer P, Engelter S. Antithrombotic drugs for carotid artery dissection (Cochrane review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev2000;4:CD000255-CD000255.
8.
8. Schievink WI. Spontaneous dissection of the carotid and vertebral arteries. N Engl J Med2001;344:898-898.
9.
9. de Brujin SFTM and Stam J for the Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis Study Group. Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of anticoagulant treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin for cerebral sinus thrombosis. Stroke1999;30:484-484.
10.
10. Kalafut MA, Gandhi R, Kidwell CS, et al. Safety and cost of of low-molecular-weight heparin as bridging anticoagulant therapy in subacute cerebral ischemia. Stroke2000;312563-2563.
11.
11. Hyers TM, Agnelli G, Hull RD, et al. Antithrombotic therapy for venous thromboembolic disease. Sixth ACCP Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic Therapy. Chest2001;119:176S-176S.
12.
12. Hirsh J, Warkentin TE, Shaughnessy SG, et al. Heparin and low-molecular-weight heparin. Sixth ACCP consensus conference on antithrombotic therapy. Chest2001;119:64S-64S.
13.
13. Strater R, Kurnik K, Heller C, et al. Aspirin versus lowmolecular-weight heparin: Antithrombotic therapy in pediatric ischemic stroke patients. A prospective follow-up study. Stroke2001;32:2554-2554.