[Plate 225, Mediastinum: Left Lateral View]General Description
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The mediastinum is the central compartment of the thorax between the two pleural cavities.
Stretches from the thoracic inlet to the diaphragm and from the sternum to the bodies of the thoracic vertebrae posteriorly.
Its contents include the heart, trachea, esophagus, great vessels of the heart, lymph nodes, nerves, and fat.
The mediastinum is divided into two parts:
The superior part extends from the thoracic inlet to a plane at the level of the sternal angle and the T4/5 intervertebral disc
The inferior mediastinum extends from this plane to the diaphragm.
Superior mediastinum contains the
superior vena cava
arch of the aorta and its branches
trachea
phrenic nerves
thoracic duct
esophagus
vagus nerves
left recurrent laryngeal nerve
thymus
Inferior mediastinum is subdivided into
anterior mediastinum
middle mediastinum
posterior mediastinum
The anterior mediastinum contains fat and the remnants of the thymus gland
The middle mediastinum contains the heart surrounded by the pericardium and the roots of the great vessels. The great vessels are:
ascending aorta
superior vena cava
pulmonary trunk
The posterior mediastinum contains