| Posterior mediastinum | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Mediastinum | |
 |
|
| A transverse section of the thorax, showing the contents of the middle and the posterior mediastinum. | |
| Latin | mediastinum posterius |
| Gray's | subject #239 1093 |
The posterior mediastinum is an irregular triangular space running parallel with the vertebral column.
Contents |
Boundaries
It is bounded:
- anteriorly by the pericardium (in front of)
- inferiorly by the thoracic surface of the diaphragm (below).
- superiorly by the transverse thoracic plane (above). This plane is marked by an imaginary line travelling through the manubriosternal joint to the dividing line between the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae.
- posteriorally by the bodies of the vertebral column from the lower border of the fifth to the twelfth thoracic vertebra (behind).
- laterally: by the mediastinal pleura (on either side)
Content
- artery
- thoracic part of the descending aorta
- veins
- azygos vein
- the hemiazygos vein and the accessory hemiazygos vein
- nerves
- vagus nerve
- splanchnic nerves (but not the sympathetic chain[1])
- esophagus
- thoracic duct
- some lymph glands
See also
References
- ^ thoraxlesson5 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) - "Posterior Mediastinum"
External links
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.
 |
This anatomy article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
