Morel-Lavallée lesion: A review

Morel-Lavallée lesions are a relatively rare clinical problem, referring to closed degloving injuries around the pelvis or proximal femur, but have also been described in other areas of the body. The pathology involves a shearing of the hypodermis from the underlying fascia, with disruption of the perforating arteries and lymphatic plexus. In the early stages, there is predominantly accumulation of haematoma in the newly formed cavity, which is later reabsorbed and replaced by slow-leaking lymph. The diagnosis of an acute Morel-Lavallée lesion is clinical. The chronic Morel-Lavallée lesion, however, can pose diagnostic difficulties due to its resemblance to other soft tissue tumours.