RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 “Hitting the nail on the head”
JF Emergency Medicine Journal
JO Emerg Med J
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
SP e3
OP e3
DO 10.1136/emj.2006.041061
VO 24
IS 1
A1 A Fries
A1 I Higginson
YR 2007
UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/24/1/e3.abstract
AB Subungual malignant melanoma is a rare form of malignancy that can present at an advanced stage. We describe a case that was diagnosed after a presentation to the emergency department for a traumatic injury of the affected area. Initial presentations of malignant disease and its complications form a relatively low proportion of the caseload of emergency doctors. In this case, a patient presented after a minor injury that had failed to recover; subsequent investigation of this injury led to the diagnosis of subungual malignant melanoma in an otherwise asymptomatic patient. This is a rare case which presented in an atypical fashion, with a confounding history of minor trauma. It is presented to highlight the differential diagnosis of destructive bone lesions.