# Recurrent Post-traumatic Morel-Lavallée Lesion of the Hip and Thigh Treated With Open Capsulectomy and Povidone-Iodine Sclerotherapy: A Case Report

**Authors:** Jung su Lee, Oh young Kwon, Jong soon Kim, Young hun Jung

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.86385 · 2025-06-19

## TL;DR

A patient with a recurring hip and thigh injury was successfully treated with povidone-iodine injections after other methods failed.

## Contribution

Povidone-iodine is proposed as an alternative treatment for recurrent Morel-Lavallée lesions when standard agents are unavailable.

## Key findings

- Open capsulectomy failed to prevent recurrence of the lesion.
- Ultrasound-guided povidone-iodine sclerotherapy reduced the lesion size after two sessions.
- Povidone-iodine is suggested as a viable alternative sclerosant for MLLs.

## Abstract

Morel-Lavallée lesions (MLLs) are closed internal degloving injuries that may lead to persistent post-traumatic fluid collections. We report the case of a 65-year-old male patient with a recurrent MLL over the left hip and thigh following a fall. Initial management with aspiration and corticosteroid injection was unsuccessful, and open capsulectomy also failed to prevent recurrence. Due to the unavailability of conventional sclerosing agents, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy using 10% povidone-iodine was performed. After two sessions, there was a marked reduction in the size of the lesion without complications. This case suggests that povidone-iodine may serve as a viable alternative sclerosant for recurrent MLLs when standard agents are inaccessible.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** povidone-iodine (PubChem CID 410087)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** KMT2A (lysine methyltransferase 2A) [NCBI Gene 4297] {aka ALL-1, ALL1, CXXC7, GAS7, HRX, HTRX}
- **Diseases:** MLLs (MESH:D006957), Lesion of the Hip (MESH:D006620)
- **Chemicals:** Povidone-Iodine (MESH:D011206)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12178838/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12178838