[Primary phlebitis of the arm].

Primary phlebitis or sprain phlebitis in the upper member are caused by a compressive mechanism in the thoraco-brachial passage. Thrombosis most often originates in the area of the cost-clavicular hinge, and spreads towards the extremity of the member. In this series, 19 cases were treated: 8 recent cases of phlebitis, in which results were all too often imperfect (5 failures), 11 post-phlebitic syndromes, in which there were 9 good results. The surgical procedure which we therefore recommend aims at the decompression of the collateral circulation flowing around the thrombosed area: this should be enough to improve results in a large proportion of cases.