5-Minute Pediatric Consult
Mediastinal Mass
Basics
Description
Space-occupying lesion of the mediastinum
- Anterior mediastinum includes the thymus and other structures anterior to the pericardium.
- Middle mediastinum contains the heart, great vessels, ascending aorta, and aortic arch, as well as lymph nodes.
- Posterior mediastinum contains the tracheobronchial tree, esophagus, descending aorta, and neural structures.
Pathophysiology
Morbidity is due to compression of adjacent normal structures, particularly large airways, heart, and great vessels.
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Citation
Cabana, Michael D., editor. "Mediastinal Mass." 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 8th ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2019. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617368/all/Mediastinal_Mass.
Mediastinal Mass. In: Cabana MDM, ed. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2019. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617368/all/Mediastinal_Mass. Accessed July 19, 2025.
Mediastinal Mass. (2019). In Cabana, M. D. (Ed.), 5-Minute Pediatric Consult (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617368/all/Mediastinal_Mass
Mediastinal Mass [Internet]. In: Cabana MDM, editors. 5-Minute Pediatric Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2019. [cited 2025 July 19]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617368/all/Mediastinal_Mass.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Mediastinal Mass
ID - 617368
ED - Cabana,Michael D,
BT - 5-Minute Pediatric Consult
UR - https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/5-Minute-Pediatric-Consult/617368/all/Mediastinal_Mass
PB - Wolters Kluwer
ET - 8
DB - Pediatrics Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
