Morel-Lavallée Lesion: A Case Report of a Large Post-Traumatic Subcutaneous Lumbar Hematoma and Literature Review

Abstract

Morel-Lavallée Lesions (MLL), described in 1863 by French surgeon Victor-Auguste-François Morel-Lavallée, are rare posttraumatic closed degloving injuries, occurring as a result of tangential sheer forces, in which the skin and subcutaneous tissue separate abruptly from the underlying deep fascia, causing fluid collection with liquefied fat. A 31-year-old policeman involved in a road traffic accident, presented with a gradually expanding lumbar swelling, which was soft, fluctuant and painful with contused skinon examination. Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the lumbar spine revealed a large subcutaneous hematoma on axial view, extending from the 12th thoracic vertebra down to the first sacral vertebra. There was no skeletal lesion. The treatment consisted of surgical excision/drainage of the collection followed by continuous suction with drainage tubes for two days. The collection is completely resolved; the patient made a full recovery and has been asymptomatic. Since there was a history of blunt trauma and given the nature and the location of the collection over osseous prominences, we report this rare case of a large posttraumatic lumbar hematoma diagnosed on clinical and CT scanning grounds as a Morel-Lavallée lesion. The patient was informed that non-identifying information from the case would be submitted for publication, and he provided consent.