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We herein describe the case of a 59-year-old man who experienced a spontaneous splenic rupture 12?h after undergoing a left-side thoracotomy for a wedge resection of an unknown pulmonary nodular tumor following a history of malignant melanoma. He demonstrated no special abdominal diseases or traumas, except an uneventful cholecystectomy 12 years previously. Preoperatively, he was not on anticoagulation, aspirin, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, and all coagulation tests were inconspicuous. At 12?h after lung surgery the patient showed signs of progredient hypovolemic shock. After ultrasonography, which showed a moderate amount of free intra-abdominal liquid, the patient was urgently taken to the operation room. Bleeding resulted from a rupture of an encapsulated hematoma from the spleen. No signs of adhesion around the spleen or of an injury of the left diaphragm were observed. A pathological analysis of the spleen revealed a normal dimension and a normal histological structure without any evidence of a hematological or neoplastic disease. The patient was discharged on the 12th day after surgery. A review on the literature and the differential diagnosis of this unusual case is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]