Comprehensive, accurate staging has a critical role in planning rational treatment strategies for patients with malignant melanoma (MM). In the present study the authors investigate the value of FDG PET in staging and restaging based on the investigation of 37 high-risk MM patients and compare the results with the one obtained by conventional imaging techniques (X-ray, US, CT, MR and bone scan). Thirty-nine whole body PET scans were carried out. The authors concluded that FDG PET had the highest sensitivity among the imaging methods in detecting distant metastases of MM.