Superficial thrombophlebitis (superficial phlebitis) is inflammation and clotting in a superficial vein.

Superficial thrombophlebitis most often affects the superficial veins in the legs but may also affect superficial veins in the groin or in the arms. Superficial thrombophlebitis in the arms usually results from having an intravenous catheter. Often, thrombophlebitis occurs in people with varicose veins. However, most people with varicose veins do not develop thrombophlebitis.

Even a slight injury can cause a varicose vein to become inflamed. Unlike deep vein thrombosis, which causes very little inflammation, superficial thrombophlebitis involves a sudden (acute) inflammatory reaction that causes the thrombus (blood clot) to adhere firmly to the vein wall and lessens the likelihood that it will break loose. Unlike deep veins, superficial veins have no surrounding muscles to squeeze and dislodge a thrombus. For these reasons, superficial thrombophlebitis rarely causes embolism.

Thrombophlebitis that repeatedly occurs in normal veins is called migratory phlebitis or migratory thrombophlebitis. It may indicate a serious underlying disorder, such as cancer of an internal organ. When migratory phlebitis and cancer of an internal organ occur together, the disorder is called Trousseau’s syndrome.

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