Posterior mediastinum
The posterior mediastinum (or paravertebral compartment) is a potential space along the paravertebral sulci. It is conceptually considered a portion of the inferior mediastinum, and separated from the middle mediastinal compartment and the remainder of the extrapleural intrathoracic cavity by arbitrary lines.
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Gross anatomy
Relations
- superiorly: superior mediastinum
- anteriorly: anterior and middle mediastinum (which form the other compartments of the inferior mediastinum).
It is continuous with the retropharyngeal space via the posterior part of the superior mediastinum.
Contents
- thoracic spine 5
- paraspinal nervous system 6
- thoracic spinal ganglion
- sympathetic trunk and major branches
- rami communicantes of intercostal nerves
- paravertebral soft tissues 5
- proximal intercostal vessels
- distal azygos-hemiazygos venous system 6
Boundaries
- superiorly: thoracic inlet
- inferiorly: diaphragm
- anteriorly: posterior boundaries of middle mediastinum (1 cm posterior to anterior margin of thoracic vertebral bodies) 5
- posteriorly: posterior margin of chest wall, along the transverse processes of thoracic vertebrae
- laterally: mediastinal parietal pleura
Related pathology
- wide variety of malignancies, e.g. mesothelioma, lung, neurogenic (e.g. schwannoma), teratoma, lymphoma, sarcoma
- lymphadenopathy
- aortic aneurysm
- extramedullary hematopoiesis
See also
- main article: differential for a posterior mediastinal mass
Related Radiopaedia 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
- tracheobronchial tree
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lungs
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
- left lung
- right lung
- variant anatomy
- lung parenchyma
- hilum
- pleura
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- pectinate muscles
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
-
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
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left anterior descending artery (LAD)
- diagonal branches (D1, D2, etc)
- septal perforators (S1, S2, etc)
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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
- innervation of the heart
- fetal circulation
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pericardium
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
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pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- epicardial fat pad
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- blood supply of the thorax
- arteries
- veins
- 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
- thoracoepigastric vein
- lymphatics
- innervation of the thorax
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