Closed Degloving Injury of the Foot Caused by a High Impact Force: A Case Report

TL;DR

A young man suffered a rare foot injury after a car accident, which was treated without surgery and healed successfully.

Contribution

This case report presents a rare occurrence of a Morel-Lavallée lesion in the foot managed conservatively.

Findings

MRI identified a fluid intensity lesion in the foot's subdermal and dermal layers.

Conservative management with drainage and wound care led to epidermal regeneration without amputation.

The case highlights the possibility of non-surgical treatment when major vessels are intact.

Abstract

An 18-year-old male subject was referred to our MRI scanning center, by an orthopedic surgeon, for a swelling over the plantar region of the foot. He had been in a motor vehicle accident a few weeks back, with no evidence of fracture at the time of injury. In subsequent weeks, he developed a swelling over his foot. MRI showed the presence of a fluid intensity lesion in the subdermal and dermal layers of his foot. Unguarded motor vehicle accidents often tend to cause severe injuries. Sometimes, they even need operative management since a motor vehicle collision is a high-impact accident. One of the pathologies caused by a high impact force is the Morel-Lavallée lesion or a closed type of degloving injury. A Morel-Lavallee lesion also needs operative intervention if major vascular channels are involved in the degloving. However, if the major vessels supplying the region of degloving are intact, open surgery may not be needed. In such cases, incision and drainage along with serial wound dressing may be attempted. The primary risk in closed degloving is recurrent or subsequent tissue necrosis. Close and watchful monitoring is needed to anticipate and prevent these. Closed degloving injuries or Morel-Lavallée lesions have been commonly described in the thigh and pelvis region. Here, we describe a case that developed in the dermal and fascial layers of the foot and was managed conservatively. The epidermal layer showed regeneration, and the patient did not need subsequent amputation.

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