[The advantages and disadvantages of different methods of access to the internal jugular veins (author's transl)]

The authors have made a critical study of the respective advantages and disadvantages of the various methods of access to the internal jugular vein. These have been classified under 3 headings: frontal access, lateral access and rear access. They outline their experience of the technique described by Boulanger and Delva in 1977. This method of access seems to be favoured on two scores, its simplicity and the absence of immediate serious complications. These encouraging results lead them to advocate this as the technique they would choose especially in urgent cases.