Deep venous thrombosis of the upper extremity five years experience at a university hospital.

All patients with deep vein thrombosis of the arm seen at one University Hospital over a 5 year period were reviewed. The 17 cases could be divided into distinct patient groups. The first group (primary thrombosis) consisted of 7 patients primarily healthy young males (mean age 23) who had vocations or avocations which involved vigorous physical activity of the arms. The 10 patients with secondary thrombosis tended to be older (mean age 47.3) and to be ill or hospitalized at the time of onset of their illness. Followup information could be obtained in 9 of the cases and 7 of these patients had persistence in their symptoms consisting of residual discomfort and edema of the involved arm especially after exercise. None of the patients treated with anticoagulation were asymptomatic. The only patients who were symptomatic were one patient who received streptokinase and another who underwent thrombectomy. Three illustrative case studies are included.