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- Title
Distant melanoma causing small bowel obstruction.
- Authors
Hintze, Justin M.; O'Connor, Donal B.; Molony, Peter; Neary, Paul C.
- Abstract
Small bowel obstructions (SBOs) are common. Adhesions make up the majority of cases at 84.9%, followed by abdominal herniae and malignancies. A 71-year-old female presented with total constipation, abdominal distension, on a background of resected cutaneous melanoma nine years prior. A CT-scan showed small bowel intussusception and disseminated mucosal-enhancing lesions consistent with metastases. She was brought to the operating theatre where six areas of intussusception were identified and manually reduced. Biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of melanoma. Melanoma of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is rare, with most cases occurring as metastasis from cutaneous lesions. Melanomas of the GIT are usually asymptomatic in their early stages, and are often diagnosed when complications, such as obstruction or perforation occur. Management of such cases consists mainly of surgical intervention to resolve the complication. In people who present with SBO without previous surgeries or herniae, a malignant cause must be considered.
- Subjects
MELANOMA; BOWEL obstructions
- Publication
Journal of Surgical Case Reports, 2017, Vol 2017, Issue 2, p1
- ISSN
2042-8812
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/jscr/rjx020