  Finite volume methods for problems involving second order operators with full
diffusion matrix can be used thanks to the definition of a discrete gradient
for piecewise constant functions on unstructured meshes satisfying an
orthogonality condition. This discrete gradient is shown to satisfy a strong
convergence property on the interpolation of regular functions, and a weak one
on functions bounded for a discrete $H^1$ norm. To highlight the importance of
both properties, the convergence of the finite volume scheme on a homogeneous
Dirichlet problem with full diffusion matrix is proven, and an error estimate
is provided. Numerical tests show the actual accuracy of the method.
