Anterior mediastinum

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Anterior mediastinum

Mediastinum

A transverse section of the thorax, showing the contents of the middle and the posterior mediastinum. The pleural and pericardial cavities are exaggerated since normally there is no space between parietal and visceral pleura and between pericardium and heart.
Latin	mediastinum anterius
Gray's	subject #239 1092
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_06/12518960

The anterior mediastinum exists only on the left side where the left pleura diverges from the mid-sternal line.

It is narrow, above, but widens out a little below.

1 Boundaries
2 Contents
3 See also
4 External links

Boundaries

It is bounded:

in front by the sternum
laterally by the pleurae
behind by the pericardium
anteriorly by the left Transversus thoracis and the fifth, sixth, and seventh left costal cartilages

It contains:

a quantity of loose areolar tissue
some lymphatic vessels which ascend from the convex surface of the liver
two or three anterior mediastinal lymph glands
the small mediastinal branches of the internal mammary artery

External links

Norman/Georgetown thoraxlesson4 - "Anterior Mediastinum"

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

v • d • e General anatomy of torso
Thorax/ Thoracic cavity	Mediastinum (Superior, Anterior, Middle, Posterior) • Superior thoracic aperture • Inferior thoracic aperture • Triangle of auscultation • Intercostal space • Thoracic plane • Thoracic wall/Thoracic cage - fascia (Pectoral fascia, Clavipectoral fascia, Thoracolumbar fascia) • Chest • Midsternal line
Thoracic diaphragm	openings (Caval opening, Esophageal hiatus, Aortic hiatus, Foramina of Morgagni) • Central tendon • Crus of diaphragm • arcuate ligaments (Lateral, Medial, Median)
Abdomen/ Abdominal cavity	Retroperitoneum • Paracolic gutters • Hepatobiliary triangle anterior abdominal wall (Arcuate line, Linea alba, Tendinous intersection, Linea semilunaris, McBurney's point, Traube's space, Inguinal triangle) • Inguinal canal (Deep inguinal ring, Superficial inguinal ring, Intercrural fibers, Crura of superficial inguinal ring) • Lumbar triangle • regions (Epigastrium, Hypochondrium, Umbilical region, Latus, Hypogastrium, Inguinal region) • planes (Transpyloric plane, Intertubercular plane, Midclavicular line) fascia (Fascia of Camper, Fascia of Scarpa, Transversalis fascia, Renal fascia, Rectus sheath)
Pelvis/ Pelvic cavity	Pelvic floor • Retropubic space fascia (Pelvic fascia, Superior fascia of diaphragm of pelvis, Inferior fascia of diaphragm of pelvis, Fascia of the Obturator internus, Tendinous arch, Iliac fascia, Iliopectineal fascia)
Perineum	Anal triangle (Ischioanal fossa, Pudendal canal, Anococcygeal raphe) Urogenital triangle (Superficial perineal pouch, Deep perineal pouch) Perineal body fascia (Dartos/fascia of perineum/superficial perineal fascia/Fascia of Colles, Perineal membrane/"Inferior fascia of UGD", "Superior fascia of UGD")