What is mediastinum?

Mediastinum is a central compartment of the thoracic cavity, an area inside the rib. It is surrounded by a areolar connective tissue and contains all the thoracic organs except the lungs, including the heart and its large blood vessels, esophagus and trachea, frenic and heart nerves, thoracic channel, thym and lymph node. The mediastinum lies between the right and left pleural cavity, which are located lungs. It extends from the breast bone to the spine.

This area can be descriptive into four sections. Excellent mediastinum is an area above the upper level of the pericardium, a bag containing a heart. The other three parts are located below the upper level of the pericardium. From the back, these sections are front, middle and rear mediastina. The front lies in front of the pericardium and the rear part is behind the pericardium, while the middle part contains the pericardium of the Asrdce. The lower limit of the mediastin is the membrane, the muscle extending over the lower part of the thoracic basket.

routine health problems affecting the mediastinal cavity include tumors, inflammation or mediastinitis, pneumomediastinum or the presence of air in mediastin and extended mediastinum. All these conditions are serious and require immediate medical care. Mediastinitis usually is of bacterial nature and is caused by the rupture of one of the organs in the mediastin. If acute, mediastinitis proceeds quickly and it is a medical emergency. Chronic mediastinitis accompanies conditions such as tuberculosis and histoplasmosis and can be treated with steroid therapy or surgery.

There are many types of mediastinal tumors, including germ cell tumors, lymphoma, pheochromocytoma and thymoma. Cancer can spread to mediastinal lymph nodes from the lungs. Tumors in the anterior mediastinal cavity, in front of the heart, are more likely to be malignant or cancer than those in other areas.

pneumomediastinum can lead to pneumothorax, pneumoperitoneum and pneumopericardo orAbout air in pleural, abdonimal and pericardial cavities. Sometimes one of these other conditions is the cause of pneumomediastinum. These conditions are commonly associated with Boerhaave syndrome in which the esophagus bursts due to vomiting.

Extended mediastina is usually diagnosed with X -ray and can be caused by a number of health problems. It often occurs with the rupture of aorts or fractures of vertebrae in the upper back. It is also a characteristic feature of anthrax poisoning.