Novel oral anticoagulants in the treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon cause of stroke with extremely diverse clinical features, predisposing factors, brain imaging findings, and outcome. Anticoagulation is the cornerstone of CVT management, however, it is not supported by high-quality evicence. Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been extensively studied in patients with deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The aim of our work was to review the available evidence for NOACs in the treatment of CVT. Based on our literature search there is insufficient evidence to support the use of NOACs in CVT, although case series with rivaroxaban and dabigatran have showed promising results.