Use of Anticoagulation for Secondary Stroke Prevention in Cerebral Cavernous Malformations: A Case Report

The use of anticoagulation for secondary stroke prevention in patients with cerebral cavernous malformations remains a complex and challenging clinical scenario due to fear of hemorrhagic complications. Independent bleeding risks to take into account include patient age, infratentorial location, cerebral cavernous malformation size, and the association with a developmental venous anomaly. Multidisciplinary consultation involving input from neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology, and radiology is also often crucial to optimize patient outcomes in this setting. Here, we present a case of a 58-year-old woman with known cerebral cavernous malformations presenting with a posterior cerebral artery ischemic stroke secondary to atrial fibrillation to discuss the safety of anticoagulation for secondary stroke prevention in such cases.