Metastases of the gastrointestinal tract from malignant melanoma are fairly frequent, though their detection during the patient's lifetime is rare. An antemortem diagnosis, however, may not necessarily be an indication for surgery, unless in the presence of an acute complication (intestinal occlusion, perforation, or severe haemorrhage), owing to the patient's degenerated general condition, the presence of secondaries in other sites and, above all, the rare occurrence of major gastrointestinal disorders. The authors describe their experience with a patient presenting acute intestinal occlusion and operated on three years previously for malignant melanoma of the scalp.