What causes enlarged mediastinum?
Mediastinal widening Widening of the mediastinum is most often due to technical factors such as patient positioning or the projection used. Rotation, incomplete inspiration, or an AP view, may all exaggerate the width of the mediastinum, as well as heart size.
What is the mediastinum of the heart?
mediastinum, the anatomic region located between the lungs that contains all the principal tissues and organs of the chest except the lungs. The mediastinum is a division of the thoracic cavity; it contains the heart, thymus gland, portions of the esophagus and trachea, and other structures.
What does the superior mediastinum contain?
The superior mediastinum contains thyroid gland, aortic arch and great vessels, proximal portions of the vagus, phrenic, and recurrent laryngeal nerves, esophagus, trachea, thoracic duct, and lymph nodes.
What is the anterior superior mediastinum?
Superior mediastinum is an artificially divided wedge-shaped compartment of the mediastinum located between the thoracic plane inferiorly and the thoracic inlet superiorly. The inferior mediastinum, comprising of the anterior, middle and posterior parts, lies inferiorly.
Is mediastinal widening serious?
Mediastinal widening after major trauma is strongly suggestive of mediastinal hematoma and requires urgent exclusion of aortic injury.
What does widening of the mediastinum indicate?
Mediastinal widening on CXR is defined as width of more than 8 cm on posteroanterior view. It can be commonly due to lymph node enlargement, vascular causes, neoplasia, and rarely due to gastrointestinal causes such as achalasia or hernia.
What is the function of mediastinum?
The mediastinum houses many vital structures including the heart, great vessels, trachea, and essential nerves. It also functions as a protected pathway for structures traversing from the neck, superiorly, and into the abdomen, inferiorly.
What does mediastinal mean?
(MEE-dee-uh-STY-num) The area between the lungs. The organs in this area include the heart and its large blood vessels, the trachea, the esophagus, the thymus, and lymph nodes but not the lungs.
What separates inferior and superior mediastinum?
The transverse thoracic plane, thoracic plane, plane of Louis or plane of Ludwig is an important anatomical plane at the level of the sternal angle and the T4/T5 intervertebral disc. It serves as an imaginary boundary that separates the superior and inferior mediastinum.
What possible lesions can develop in superior mediastinum?
Tracheal tumors: These can be benign or malignant. Esophageal tumors: These can be benign or malignant. Esophageal abnormalities: These include achalasia esophageal, diverticulum, and hiatal hernia. Vascular abnormalities: These include aortic aneurysm and aortic dissection.
Where is the anterior superior mediastinum?
The superior mediastinum is a space bounded anteriorly by the manubrium of the sternum, and posteriorly by the bodies of T1-T4 vertebrae. Its superior border is an oblique plane extending from the jugular notch of the manubrium to the superior border of T1 vertebra.
What is in the anterior mediastinum?
The anterior mediastinum is the portion of the mediastinum anterior to the pericardium and below the thoracic plane. It forms the anterior part of the inferior mediastinum, and contains the thymus, lymph nodes, and may contain the portions of a retrosternal thyroid.