COLOR DOPPLER SONOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSIS OF UPPER-LIMB VENOUS THROMBOSES

1. Upper limb venous thromboses are considered to be a rare event, but in large hospitals with a lot of patients who receive aggressive intr avenous therapy the number of thromboses seem to increase. 2. We have analysed all the cases of upper limb venous thrombosis which occurred at the Essen University Hospital between the years of 1992-1996. All p atients were examined using colour Doppler sonography, 3. Out of 827 p atients that were examined, a thrombosis was diagnosed in 334 cases. T he subclavian vein was involved in 69% of all thromboses. Isolated jug ular vein thrombosis was found in 17% of the thromboses, combined thro mboses of the jugular and subclavian vein in 19%, In 182 cases the pat ients were treated for primarily a malignant illness. In 96 cases we f ound an association with venous port-systems or central venous cathete rs, 4. More than 40 000 patients a year were treated at the university hospital. Considering this huge number of patients the thrombosis of the upper limb is still rare. The use of colour Doppler sonography all ows an early and safe diagnosis of the thrombosis without straining th e patient.