A case report of severe unstable pelvic fracture with extensive perineal destruction and Morel-Lavallee lesion, with literature review

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Unstable pelvic fractures in children are mainly caused by high-impact injuries, which are often combined with multiple injuries. A rare type of degloving injury named Morel-Lavallee lesion (MLL) is easily overlooked in obese children. CASE PRESENTATION: A case of unstable pelvic fracture combined with extensive perineal injury and MLL in an obese child was discussed. The general conditions, diagnosis, and treatment were summarized. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Unstable pelvic fractures are associated with extremely high disability and mortality rates and are often associated with hemorrhagic shock, urethral injury, or lower-extremity dysfunction. Clinicians need to be more alert to the possibility of MLL in obese children. CONCLUSION: Multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment with individualized surgical procedures are key to a good prognosis.