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Objective: Morel-Lavellée lesions are the accumulation of fluid, blood, and debris caused by the decomposition of the skin and subcutaneous tissue after degloving trauma. This lesion is often located in the greater trochanter of the femur in adults. However, a small number of studies in pediatric patients have shown localization and signal differences. In this study, we aimed to describe the characteristic magnetic resonance imaging findings of Morel-Lavellée lesions located in the lower extremities in the pediatric patient group.
Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with subcutaneous fluid on lower extremity magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric patient groups were retrospectively reviewed from the hospital medical archive. Age, gender, trauma history, magnetic resonance imaging findings, and lesion contents were recorded.
Results: Thirteen patients between 10 and 18 years of age were included in the study. The most common localization was the knee, and all of the lesions in the knee were anteriorly located (11/13, 84.6%). In 10 patients, trauma was involved in the etiology, while the etiology of the remaining 3 patients was unknown. All of the lesions were thin-walled and most of them were ovoid (10/13, 76.9%).
Conclusion: Although Morel-Lavellée lesions are often described in the neighbors with the femur in adults, they should be considered in all localizations of the body that had a trauma. In the pediatric patient group, anterior knee involvement is frequently observed in the lower extremities and most of the patients regress with conservative treatment.
Cite this article as: Fatihoğlu E, Kadirhan O. Magnetic resonance imaging findings of lower extremity morel-lavellée lesions in pediatric patients: A preliminary study. Current Research in MRI. 2022; 1(1): 6-9.