Morel-Lavallée Lesion of the Hip: A Case Report

Morel-Lavallée lesion (MLL) is a rare post-traumatic internal degloving injury caused by tangential shear forces separating subcutaneous tissue from underlying fascia. We report a 29-year-old male patient with a progressive, fluctuant swelling over the right hip and thigh following a fall. Ultrasound revealed an anechoic fluid collection in the subcutaneous plane of the hip, which yielded serosanguinous fluid on aspiration. CT confirmed the extent of the lesion over the hip and thigh, while MRI further characterized the collection as an acute lesion without any pseudocapsule formation. Surgical drainage with pressure dressing led to complete recovery. MLL should be considered a key differential in post-traumatic soft tissue swellings, especially in the characteristic locations. A multimodal imaging approach can be helpful to characterize and stage the lesion for proper management.