Fibromatosis refers to formation of a fibrous or tumor-like nodule or nodular swelling arising from fascia or connective tissue. The behavior of fibromatosis ranges from a self-limiting benign condition to the aggressive or recurrent type. No articles at this time have reported cases of aggressive fibromatosis emphasizing the use of color Doppler sonography for preoperative planning. The authors report two cases of aggressive fibromatosis interrogated with color Doppler imaging and magnetic resonance imaging that correlate with surgical findings.

Transbronchoscopic biopsies of lung (transbronchial) or bronchus (endobronchial) have a high diagnostic of yield when performed by a single expert bronchoscopist or a small group of expert bronchoscopists. This procedure's diagnostic yield was evaluated in a general hospital where biopsies are performed by a diverse group of individuals. One hundred fifty-one consecutive biopsies were reviewed, including 53 transbronchial biopsies and 98 endobronchial biopsies. Only 44% of endobronchial biopsies and 21% of transbronchial biopsies were diagnostic. The diagnostic yield was significantly greater in patients with suspected neoplasms (48%) than in patients with suspected infections (13%). Of 97 patients who ultimately had definitive diagnoses established, 43 (44%) had negative biopsy results, including 36% of those with cancers and 80% of those with infections. Failure to obtain alveolar parenchyma by transbronchial biopsy (probably related to the absence of fluoroscopic control) and failure to obtain multiple tissue fragments during each procedure contributed to the low diagnostic yield. The especially disappointing results of transbronchial biopsy for diagnosis of infection suggest that, in this hospital setting, open lung biopsy may be the procedure of choice when infection is suspected.

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Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) not only has the potential to be fatal from pulmonary embolism formation but can also have damaging effects to the vein itself. DVT can damage the walls and valves of the associated vein. Damage to the venous valves can result in their becoming "frozen" or immobile, and thereby enabling venous reflux. 1 With advances in sonography, visualizing the valve leaflets and their functional status has become a reality. Highfrequency transducers and increased image resolution allow sonographers to locate and isolate damaged valves. The leaflets appear as echogenic lines extending from the vessel wall. Real-time observation and color Doppler imaging of the valves From UAMS, Deep vein thrombosis can damage venous valves, which results in their becoming adherent to the vessel wall. This condition is referred to as a "stuck" or "frozen" venous valve that is incompetent and allows venous reflux to occur. Sonographers using high-frequency, real-time sonography are becoming more successful at imaging these valves and evaluating their functionality. Color Doppler and spectral analysis are also employed to gain further insight into the severity of reflux flow in the affected vessel. This case study documents the presence of frozen venous valves bilaterally through the use of a sonographic examination. Accurate diagnosis of frozen venous valves can decrease the damaging effects of chronic venous insufficiency by promoting timely treatment. Surgical advancements have allowed repair of these nonfunctioning valves, which increases healing of symptoms related to postthrombotic syndrome.