In a prospective study of deep-vein thrombosis following hip surgery for fractures of the proximal femur, 45 Hong Kong Chinese patients were examined by bilateral functional ascending phlebography 7 to 28 days postfracture and 5 to 15 days post-surgery. In 14 patients, the phlebography was repeated 10 to 32 days later. The patients were followed for 27 to 32 months. The phlebographic pattern of the venous thrombi were analyzed, and the clinical course of the patients was presented. Despite the fact that the overall incidence of deep-vein thrombosis in this group of Chinese patients was similar to that reported in the West, clinical pulmonary embolism was not observed. The study suggested a difference in the distribution, pattern and probably the natural history of the venous thrombi among the Chinese when compared with the Western series.