Superficial phlebitis and venous thrombosis of the upper extremity – trivial or not?

Summary

Background: In contrast to venous thromboembolism in the lower limbs, reports of thrombosis or phlebitis in the arm are rare.

Methods: A review of different data bases was performed using the following key words: venous thrombosis, upper extremity, venous catheter, pulmonary embolism, thoracic outlet, varicose veins in upper limbs, superficial phlebitis upper extremity/limb.

Results: Upper extremity thrombosis is often caused by catheters or in accordance to malignancies.

Conclusion: Upper extremity thrombosis is more frequent than supposed and should be examined using duplex ultrasound.

Keywords

Venous thrombosis - upper extremity thrombosis - varicose veins - superficial phlebitis

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