Managing Giant Dorsal Morel-Lavallée Lesions: Operative Principles From an Uncommon Case

Morel-Lavallée lesions (MLLs) are shearing force injuries that separate the subcutaneous tissue from the underlying fascia. They remain underreported in the literature. They typically occur in the thigh or pelvis. Those located on the torso are rare. We present the case of a 54-year-old male trauma patient who developed, what is to our knowledge, the largest documented MLL extending across the entire back. Currently, there is no consensus on the optimal treatment of MLLs, particularly for large lesions where there are high recurrence rates and the morbidity of infection could be immense. Management strategies reported in the literature are varied but all rely on the principles of evacuation of hematoma and closure and/or drainage of the dead space. Our purpose in this manuscript is not to highlight that our proposed intervention was successful but to offer management options of large MLLs where no consensus has been reached.