Mediastinal mass

Mediastinal mass Microchapters
Home
Overview
Anatomy of Mediastinum
Causes
Differentiating Mediastinal Mass from other Diseases

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Trusha Tank, M.D.[2], Amr Marawan, M.D. [3]

Synonyms and keywords: Mediastinal enlargement; mass in the mediastinum

Overview

The mediastinum is a non-delineated group of structures in the thorax (chest), surrounded by loose connective tissue. It is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity. It contains the heart, the great vessels of the heart, esophagus, trachea, thymus, and lymph nodes of the central chest. A wide variety of diseases involving these organs can present as a mediastinal mass or widening of the mediastinum on imaging studies. Mediastinal widening is diagnosed by the mediastinum measuring greater than 8 cm in width on PA chest x-ray. The mediastinal mass may present with symptoms caused by the mass pressing against other organs or even without any symptoms. Mediastinal masses can be differentiated on the basis of location in the mediastinal cavity into 3 groups: Prevascular, visceral and paravertebral.

Compartments	Boundaries	Components
Prevascular	Superior: Thoracic inlet Inferior: Diaphragm Anterior: Sternum Posterior: Anterior aspect of pericardium Lateral: Parietal mediastinal pleura	Thymus Fat Lymph nodes Left brachiocephalic vein
Visceral	Superior: Thoracic inlet Inferior: Diaphragm Anterior: Posterior boundaries of prevascular compartment Posterior: Vertical line connecting a point on each thoracic vertebral body 1 cm posterior to its origin
Paravertebral	Superior: Thoracic inlet Inferior: Diaphragm Anterior: Posterior bounderies of visceral compartment Posterolateral: Vertical line agaiinst the posterior margin of the chest wall at the lateral margin of the transvers process of tthoracicspine Lateral