mediastinum
Sign in to saveThe mediastinum (from ;: mediastina) is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity. Surrounded by loose connective tissue, it is a region that contains vital organs and structures within the thorax, mainly the heart and its vessels, the esophagus, the trachea, the vagus, phrenic and cardiac nerves, the thoracic duct, the thymus and the lymph nodes of the central chest.
Key facts
- Anatomy.Name
- Mediastinum
- Anatomy.Latin
- mediastinum
- Anatomy.Image
- Body Cavities Frontal view labeled.jpg
- Anatomy.Caption
- Frontal view of the body cavities: superior mediastinum labeled a, and the pericardial cavity, which is part of the inferior mediastinum, labeled d
- Anatomy.Image2
- Mediastinum.png
- Anatomy.Caption2
- Mediastinum, lateral view. The division between superior and inferior is at the sternal angle.
- Anatomy.Width
- 260
- Medical condition.name
- Widened mediastinum
- Medical condition.synonyms
- Mediastinal widening
- Medical condition.image
- Achalasie im Thorax pa 001.png
- Medical condition.caption
- Widened mediastinum in a patient with achalasia
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
29,251 papers- [Lesions of the paravertebral mediastinum].Radiologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023
- Spindle cell tumors of the mediastinum.Annals of diagnostic pathology · 2022
- The mediastinum.Pathology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 1996
- Fetal upper mediastinum - normal and abnormal findings in obstetric ultrasound screening.Ginekologia polska · 2020
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the pediatric mediastinum.Pediatric radiology · 2018
via PubMed
Article
12 sectionsContents
- Anatomy
- Thoracic plane
- Superior mediastinum
- Inferior mediastinum
- Anterior inferior mediastinum
- Middle inferior mediastinum
- Posterior inferior mediastinum
- Clinical significance
- Widening
- See also
- References
- External links
The mediastinum (from ;: mediastina) is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity. Surrounded by loose connective tissue, it is a region that contains vital organs and structures within the thorax, mainly the heart and its vessels, the esophagus, the trachea, the vagus, phrenic and cardiac nerves, the thoracic duct, the thymus and the lymph nodes of the central chest.
== Anatomy == thumb|left|CT thorax (axial, mediastinal window) The mediastinum lies within the thorax and is enclosed on the right and left by pleurae. It is surrounded by the chest wall in front, the lungs to the sides and the spine at the back. It extends from the sternum in front to the vertebral column behind. It contains all the organs of the thorax except the lungs. It is continuous with the loose connective tissue of the neck.