[Primary thrombosis of the axillary and subclavian veins]

A case of effort thrombosis of the axillary vein caused by violent abduction of the arm in the act of raising a 40 kg weight over the head is reported. The patients was treated conservatively with anti-coagulants, antibiotics and rest. A slight functional deficiency remains one year later while control phlebography has shown good recanalization of the clot. It is personally considered that a particularly close relationship between vessels and surrounding anatomic structures may, during violent effort and in a particular position of the extremity, trigger compression of the venous wall with lesion of the intima and clot formation.