Hepatopathy secondary to infiltration by malignant melanoma: diagnostic value of liver biopsy.

ABSTRACT

We present the case of a 61-year-old male with no relevant history of interest who was admitted to hospital due to constitutional syndrome and discomfort in the right hypochondrium. On admission, abdominal ultrasound was performed with findings of chronic liver disease and innumerable well-defined hypoechogenic lesions of small size. Although the study was extended with other imaging tests, they did not provide more information than what was available at the time. Subsequently, an ultrasound-guided liver biopsy was performed with pathological anatomy compatible with infiltration by malignant melanoma. Subsequently, a search for the primary origin of the melanoma was performed and it was found in the right thigh. Hepatic involvement by melanoma is infrequent and both the symptoms and the findings in the complementary tests are non-specific, characteristics that make diagnosis difficult. Therefore, in these cases liver biopsy plays a fundamental role in the diagnosis.