Morel-Lavallée Lesion in a Professional American Football Player
Matthew J. Matava, MD, Evan Ellis, MD, Nirav R. Shah, MD, Douglas Pogue, MD, and Tyler Williams, ATC
Dr. Matava is Associate Professor of Sports Medicine, Dr. Ellis is Clinical Fellow of Sports Medicine, and Dr. Shah is Resident, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Pogue is with BJC Medical Group, St. Louis, Missouri.
Mr. Williams is Athletic Trainer, Saint Louis Rams Football Team, St. Louis, Missouri.
A Morel-Lavallée lesion is a relatively rare condition involving a closed, degloving injury to the pelvis, resulting in a blood-filled cystic cavity created by separation of the subcutaneous tissue from the underlying fascia. This injury typically occurs following high-speed trauma. We describe a case that occurred in a professional American football player who was treated with percutaneous decompression and evacuation of the hematoma. The player returned to playing football at the professional level 22 days after the injury without residual deformity or disability.