Superior mediastinum
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Balaji Vasu had no recorded disclosures.
View Balaji Vasu's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Raymond Chieng had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Raymond Chieng's current disclosuresThe 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.
Gross anatomy
Boundaries
superiorly: thoracic inlet
inferiorly: thoracic plane
laterally: mediastinal pleura
posteriorly: bodies of the upper four thoracic vertebrae
Contents
muscles: origin of sternohyoid, sternothyroid and lower end of longus colli muscles
arteries: aortic arch and great vessels
veins: right and left brachiocephalic veins, left superior intercostal vein, upper half of superior vena cava
nerves: phrenic nerve, vagus nerve and its cardiac branches, cardiac plexus, left recurrent laryngeal nerve
lymph nodes: brachiocephalic, tracheobronchial, paratracheal
trachea 4
thymus 4
References
- 1. Collins J, Stern EJ. Chest Radiology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (2008) ISBN:0781763142. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Brett W. Carter, Marcelo F. Benveniste, Rachna Madan, Myrna C. Godoy, Patricia M. de Groot, Mylene T. Truong, Melissa L. Rosado-de-Christenson, Edith M. Marom. ITMIG Classification of Mediastinal Compartments and Multidisciplinary Approach to Mediastinal Masses. (2017) RadioGraphics. 37 (2): 413-436. doi:10.1148/rg.2017160095 - Pubmed
- 4. Stephanie Ryan, Michelle McNicholas, Stephen J. Eustace. Anatomy for Diagnostic Imaging. (2011) Page 131. ISBN: 9780702029714 - Google Books
Incoming Links
- Inferior mediastinum
- Middle mediastinum
- Brachiocephalic vein
- Mediastinal mass
- Mediastinum
- Retro-aortic left brachiocephalic vein
- Recurrent laryngeal nerve
- Parathyromatosis
- Ectopia cordis
- Pericardial ligaments
- Posterior mediastinum
- Visceral space
- Normal contours of the cardiomediastinum on chest radiography
- Dysphagia lusoria
- Thoracic plane
Related articles: Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- lower respiratory tract
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
- innervation of the heart
- development of the heart
- cardiac wall
-
pericardium
- epicardium
- epicardial fat pad
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- myocardium
- endocardium
-
pericardium
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- arterial supply of the thorax
-
thoracic aorta (development)
-
ascending aorta
-
aortic root
- aortic annulus
-
coronary arteries
- coronary arterial dominance
- myocardial segments
-
left main coronary artery (LMCA)
- ramus intermedius artery (RI)
-
circumflex artery (LCx)
- obtuse marginal branches (OM1, OM2, etc))
- Kugel's artery
-
left anterior descending artery (LAD)
- diagonal branches (D1, D2, etc)
- septal perforators (S1, S2, etc)
-
right coronary artery (RCA)
- conus artery
- sinoatrial nodal artery
- acute marginal branches (AM1, AM2, etc)
- inferior interventricular artery (PDA)
- posterior left ventricular artery (PLV)
- congenital anomalies
- sinotubular junction
-
aortic root
- aortic arch
- aortic isthmus
- descending aorta
-
ascending aorta
- pulmonary trunk
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- venous drainage of the thorax
- superior vena cava (SVC)
- inferior vena cava (IVC)
-
coronary veins
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- pulmonary veins
- bronchial veins
- thoracoepigastric vein
- lymphatics of the thorax
- innervation of the thorax
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