Diagnosis and Treatment of a Morel-Lavallee Lesion via Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

Abstract

Morel-Lavallee Lesion (MLL) is a rare diagnosis of a closed internal degloving injury that can occur with high energy trauma. The pain, soft tissue swelling, and ecchymosis that patients describe mimic many other emergent diagnoses to include compartment syndrome and fractures. The following case highlights the importance of the role of Emergency Medicine physicians using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to recognize and treat a potentially life-threatening injury. Our patient was initially managed with a bedside needle aspiration with drainage of 25cc of serosanguinous fluid that resulted in immediate pain relief. Patient was then admitted for further Interventional Radiology drainage of 160cc of serosanguinous fluid by Interventional Radiology.

Keywords

• Morel-lavallee lesion
• Clinician-Performed Ultrasound
• Case report
• POCUS