Monday, 6 April 2026

P X Morel-Lavallée lesion

 A

Morel-Lavallée lesion is a closed internal degloving injury where skin and fat shear off from the underlying fascia, creating a fluid-filled pocket (blood + lymph + necrotic fat). It’s usually traumatic and often missed early.

What this case report highlights

“Chronic … in a Pediatric Competitive Dancer” means:

  • Pediatric → child/adolescent (rare in this age group)

  • Competitive dancer → repetitive shear, splits, floor work, hip impact

  • Chronic → lesion persisted and formed a capsule, harder to treat

Typical presentation in the report

  • Slowly enlarging soft, fluctuant swelling

  • Often hip, thigh, or pelvis

  • May be painless or mildly sore

  • Misdiagnosed as hematoma, bursitis, or tumor

Why dancers are at risk

  • Repeated friction/shear over hip/thigh

  • Floor choreography

  • Overstretching + microtrauma

  • Minimal single “big” injury → diagnosis delayed

Imaging used

  • MRI is the gold standard
    Shows:

  • Fluid collection between tissue planes

  • Capsule formation (chronic stage)

  • Internal debris/fat globules

Treatment (chronic cases)

  • Compression alone → usually fails

  • Aspiration → often recurs

  • Sclerotherapy → sometimes used

  • Surgical excision of capsule → most definitive for chronic lesions

Key takeaway

Acute = fluid pocket
Chronic = encapsulated pseudo-cyst that won’t resolve without intervention

Clinical pearl:
If a dancer has a persistent soft swelling over hip/thigh lasting weeks–months, think Morel-Lavallée, not just “old hematoma.”

Want me to:

  • show MRI appearance

  • explain acute vs chronic staging

  • connect to sports medicine implications

  • summarize the exact case outcome

Just say.



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