Rupture of liver metastasis of malignant melanoma--a case of hepatic resection.

A case is reported in which resection of the left lateral segment of the liver was performed for rupture of a metastatic malignant melanoma in an attempt to control hemorrhaging. The primary lesion was located in the skin of the head, and there were multiple metastases to the lung, liver and distant nodes. The patient, a 47-year-old woman, had been undergoing systemic chemotherapy for the disseminated disease, but she presented with intraabdominal bleeding from a metastatic nodule in the left lateral segment of the liver. An emergency operation was performed, and the immediate postoperative course was uneventful. She was discharged 10 days after the operation. The patient died, however, of hemorrhagic shock due to renewed intraabdominal bleeding on the 39th postoperative day. It is concluded from the above case that hepatic resection for a bleeding metastasis of malignant melanoma is a viable option even in patients with disseminated disease.