Morel-Lavallee described a traumatic closed degloving injury that bears his name.
Features of the Morel-Lavallee lesion:
(1) The patient suffers a closed degloving injury with separation of the subcutaneous tissue from the underlying fascia. Typically this occurs while undergoing a shearing force during a motorcycle or automobile accident, fall or crush injury.
(2) It usually refers to an injury located over the thigh, greater trochanter, hip and/or pelvis.
(3) The separation of tissue layers results in a space that at first may be filled with blood, lymph and debris.
(4) The lesion may develop slowly and so can be missed initially.
(5) The lesion is best identified using MRI.
Complications:
(1) infection
(2) formation of a pseudocapsule with a persisting effusion or seroma
(3) formation of a mass lesion (pseudotumor)
(4) scarring with pain
(5) decubitus ulcer
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