Morel-Lavallee Syndrome: A Rare Tumefactive Lesion

Mohamed Labied; Siham Salam; Salma Jabri; Dalal Laoudiyi; Kamilia Chbani; Lahcen Ouzidane

doi:10.12890/2020_001910

Morel-Lavallee Syndrome: A Rare Tumefactive Lesion

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2020 Oct 6;7(12):001910. doi: 10.12890/2020_001910. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Mohamed Labied¹, Siham Salam¹, Salma Jabri¹, Dalal Laoudiyi¹, Kamilia Chbani¹, Lahcen Ouzidane¹

Affiliation

¹ Pediatric Radiology Department, Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, Morocco.

Abstract

First described by the French surgeon Maurice Morel-Lavallee in 1853, Morel-Lavallee syndrome (MLS) is a serolymphatic effusion resulting from tangential injury to richly vascularized tissues. The imaging characteristics may be variable over time due to lesion progression and the eventual organization of a fibrous capsule. We report a case of extensive MLS in the lower leg of a 12-year-old child. We discuss the ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging findings and describe the differential diagnoses.

Learning points: The diagnosis of Morel-Lavallee syndrome is based on clinical examination and imaging techniques.The post-traumatic context is important for diagnosis.Morphological aspects depend on lesion progression and the eventual organization of a fibrous capsule.

Keywords: Morel-Lavallee; magnetic resonance imaging; ultrasound.