Percutaneous Drainage and Sclerotherapy for Delayed Lumbar Morel-Lavalee Lesion: Two Case Reports

ABSTRACT

Closed internal degloving is a significant soft-tissue injury associated with a trauma that results in a tear of the subcutaneous tissue away from the underlying fascia. Although the diagnosis of Morel-Lavallee lesion (MLL) is routinely based on clinical and radiological examinations, in one-third of the cases, there is a possibility that clinicians may fail to diagnose MLL due to its inconsistent clinical manifestations. Additionally, it often involves initial skin bruising due to underlying soft-tissue injury. We present two cases of delayed MLL without a fracture treated using percutaneous drainage and sclerotherapy. Our cases demonstrated successful treatment with a minimally invasive percutaneous approach. The potential advantage of using a percutaneous technique is to preserve the subdermal arterial plexus, which is the only remaining blood supply to the skin in the area of the lesion. Maintaining this blood supply may result in healthier skin at the time of any open procedure.