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Anterior mediastinum (anatomy)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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The anterior mediastinum is the region bounded by:

  • anteriorly: the sternum
  • posteriorly: the anterior border of the fibrous pericardium
  • superiorly: an arbitrary plane passing horizontally and posteriorly from the manubriosternal joint to the inferior border of the T4 vertebra
  • inferiorly: diaphragm
  • laterally: anterior mediastinal pleura overlying the lungs

The anterior mediastinum is the smallest of all the compartments within the mediastinum. In the adult, it is only a potential space that contains the thymus remnants. It is relatively much bigger in infants in whom the thymus is at its most extensive.

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