Mediastinum
The mediastinum (from Medieval Latin: mediastinus, lit. 'midway';pl.: mediastina) is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity. Surrounded by loose connective tissue, it is an undelineated region that contains a group of structures within the thorax, namely the heart and its vessels, the esophagus, the trachea, the phrenic and cardiac nerves, the thoracic duct, the thymus and the lymph nodes of the central chest.
| Mediastinum | |
|---|---|
3D rendering of a high resolution computed tomography of the thorax, with mediastinum marked in blue. | |
Mediastinum. The division between superior and inferior is at the sternal angle. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | mediastinum |
| MeSH | D008482 |
| TA98 | A07.1.02.101 |
| TA2 | 3333 |
| FMA | 9826 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
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