MEDIASTINUM Dr
SUPERIOR AND POSTERIOR MEDIASTINUM Dr. Milton M. Sholley SELFSTUDY RESOURCES Essential Clinical Anatomy 3 rd ed. (ECA): pp. 8082 and 101115 Syllabus: 9 pages (Page 9 lists corresponding figures for Grant's Atlas 11 th & 12 th Eds.) Head to Toe Questions in Gross Anatomy: Finish questions #216253 and #465541. STRUCTURES TO BE OBSERVED: Superior mediastinum: Thymus remnant (may not be present), trachea, tracheal bifurcation, esophagus Arch of aorta, brachiocephalic artery, left common carotid artery, left subclavian artery, internal thoracic arteries Superior vena cava, brachiocephalic veins, right and left superior intercostal veins, arch of azygous vein, internal thoracic veins Thoracic duct Vagi, left recurrent laryngeal nerve, phrenic nerves Cardiac branches of vagi and sympathetic ganglia, superficial and deep cardiac plexi (all of these structures are difficult and not mandatory to find) Posterior mediastinum Lower half of esophagus Esophageal plexus (from vagi) Lower part of descending aorta Azygous, hemiazygous, and accessory hemiazygous veins Transverse connecting veins of bilateral azygos system of vein Thoracic duct, sympathetic trunks, greater splanchnic nerves Right pulmonary artery Left principal bronchus LECTURE OUTLINE I. GENERAL REMARKS The mediastinum is the partition created by other organs that lie between the two pleural sacs. It extends from the sternum in front to the vertebral column behind, and from the thoracic inlet above to the diaphragm below. For purposes of description it is divided into two parts, an upper part, which is named the superior mediastinum, and a lower part, which is subdivided into (a) the anterior mediastinum, in front of the pericardium, (b) the middle mediastinum, occupied by the pericardium and its enclosed heart, and (c) the posterior mediastinum, behind the pericardium.
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