Case report details management of a rare Morel-Lavallée lesion in a young child, suggesting unique trauma factors.
The Morel-Lavallée lesion (MLL) is a closed degloving injury that is the result of a shearing mechanism of trauma. Here we present a case of paediatric MLL in a 15-month-old child, which was diagnosed and managed at a hospital in rural Gabon. She presented after a motor vehicle vs. pedestrian accident with a tender, fluctuant mass of the back and buttocks. Ultrasonography revealed a large but discrete fluid collection between the subcutaneous fat and the deep fascial planes, extending from the paraspinal soft tissues to the right gluteal region. A diagnosis of MLL was made. This patient was managed with ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage and compression bandages before eventually requiring debridement of a region of nonviable skin. These types of lesions are exceedingly rare in children less than 10 years of age, which is likely a result of different biomechanical factors and mechanisms of injury in this population.
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Maomy et al. (2026) studied this question.
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