Extra cranial carotid artery dissection and vertebral artery dissection is an important cause of stroke, especially in young people.

In some observational studies it has been associated with a high risk of recurrent stroke.

Both antiplatelet drugs and anticoagulant drugs are used to reduce risk of stroke

In the Cervical Artery Dissection in Stroke Study no difference in efficacy of antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs at preventing stroke and death in patients with symptomatic carotid and vertebral artery dissection but stroke was rare in both groups, and much rarer than reported in some observational studies. Diagnosis of dissection was not confirmed after review in many cases, suggesting that radiographic criteria are not always correctly applied in routine clinical practice ¹⁾.