Ultrasonographic diagnosis of melanoma metastases in liver, gallbladder, and spleen.

Ultrasonographic findings in the liver, gallbladder, and spleen of 42 patients with metastatic melanoma of the skin are described in a retrospective study stressing sonomorphologic results. Liver metastases were detected in 27 (64%) of the patients. Clinically asymptomatic melanoma metastases were found in the gallbladder of three patients and in the spleen of three others. The liver metastases were still in the initial stages in 10 patients, whose survival times averaged 8.4 months. The significance of upper abdominal ultrasonography in assessing the spread of metastasizing malignant melanoma during follow-up is emphasized.