Posterior Mediastinum: Mediastinal Organs

1 Internal jugular vein

2 Right vagus nerve

3 Thyroid gland

4 Right recurrent laryngeal nerve

5 Brachiocephalic trunk

6 Trachea

7 Bifurcation of trachea

8 Right phrenic nerve

9 Inferior vena cava

10 Diaphragm

11 Left subclavian artery

12 Left common carotid artery

13 Left vagus nerve

14 Aortic arch

15 Esophagus

16 Esophageal plexus

17 Thoracic aorta

18 Left phrenic nerve

19 Pericardium at the central tendon of

diaphragm

20 Right pulmonary artery

21 Left pulmonary artery

22 Tracheal lymph nodes

23 Superior tracheobronchial lymph nodes

24 Bronchopulmonary lymph nodes

Bronchial tree in situ (ventral aspect). Heart and pericardium have been removed;

the bronchi of the bronchopulmonary segments are dissected.

1–10 = numbers of segments (cf. p. 246 and 251).

Relation of aorta, pulmonary trunk, and esophagus to trachea

and bronchial tree (schematic drawing).

1–10 = numbers of segments (cf. p. 246 and 251).

15

12

6

11

14

21

24

17

15

22

5

23

20

276 Posterior Mediastinum: Mediastinal Organs

Mediastinal organs (ventral aspect). The heart with the pericardium has been removed, and the lungs and aortic arch have been

slightly reflected to show the vagus nerves and their branches.

1 Supraclavicular nerves

2 Right internal jugular vein with ansa cervicalis

3 Omohyoid muscle

4 Right vagus nerve

5 Clavicle

6 Right subclavian artery and recurrent

laryngeal nerve

7 Right subclavian vein

8 Superior cervical cardiac branch of vagus nerve

9 Inferior cervical cardiac branch of vagus nerve

10 Azygos arch (divided)

11 Right lung

12 Right pulmonary artery

13 Right pulmonary veins

14 Esophagus

15 Esophageal plexus

16 Right phrenic nerve (divided)

17 Inferior vena cava

18 Pericardium covering the diaphragm

19 Larynx (thyroid cartilage and cricothyroid muscle)

20 Thyroid gland

21 Left internal jugular vein

22 Esophagus and left recurrent laryngeal nerve

23 Trachea

24 Left vagus nerve

25 Left common carotid artery

26 Aortic arch

27 Left recurrent laryngeal nerve

28 Bifurcation of trachea

29 Left pulmonary artery

30 Left primary bronchus

31 Descending aorta

32 Left pulmonary veins

33 Branch of left vagus nerve

34 Left lung

35 Left phrenic nerve (divided)

Posterior Mediastinum: Mediastinal Organs 277

Mediastinal organs (ventral aspect). Heart and distal part of esophagus have been removed to display the vessels and nerves of

the posterior mediastinum.

1 Thyroid gland

2 Right internal jugular vein

3 Right vagus nerve

4 Point where right recurrent laryngeal nerve

is branching off the vagus nerve

5 Right brachiocephalic vein

6 Trachea

7 Left brachiocephalic vein (reflected)

8 Esophagus

9 Right bronchial artery

10 Posterior intercostal artery

11 Azygos vein

12 Thoracic duct

13 Posterior intercostal artery and vein

(in front of the vertebral column)

14 Right phrenic nerve

15 Inferior vena cava

16 Diaphragm

17 Left vagus nerve

18 Thyrocervical trunk

19 Left subclavian artery

20 Left common carotid artery

21 Brachiocephalic trunk

22 Left vagus nerve

23 Aortic arch

24 Left recurrent laryngeal nerve

25 Left bronchial artery

26 Lymph node

27 Thoracic aorta

28 Esophageal plexus

29 Left phrenic nerve

278 Posterior Mediastinum: Mediastinal Organs

Diaphragm and organs of mediastinum (anterior aspect). Heart and lungs have been

removed; the costal margin remains in place. Note the different courses of left and right

vagus.

1 Right subclavian artery

2 Right recurrent laryngeal nerve

3 Right brachiocephalic vein

4 Superior cervical cardiac nerve

5 Inferior cervical cardiac nerves

and pulmonary branches

6 Bifurcation of trachea

7 Esophagus (thoracic part)

8 Bronchi of lateral and medial segments

of middle lobe

9 Esophageal plexus and branches of

right vagus nerve

10 Inferior vena cava and

right phrenic nerve (cut)

11 Sternal part of diaphragm

12 Costal part of diaphragm

13 Falciform ligament of liver

14 Liver (quadrate lobe)

15 Left common carotid artery

16 Left recurrent laryngeal nerve

17 Esophageal branches of left vagus

nerve and esophagus

18 Trachea

19 Aortic arch

20 Left vagus nerve

21 Left recurrent laryngeal nerve with

inferior cardiac nerve

22 Left primary bronchus

23 Superior and inferior lingular bronchi

24 Esophageal plexus of left vagus nerve

25 Descending aorta

26 Central tendon of diaphragm

covered with pericardium

27 Left phrenic nerve (divided)

28 Costal margin

29 Liver, left lobe

30 Pharynx

31 Secondary bronchi

32 Esophagus (abdominal part)

33 Diaphragm

34 Abdominal aorta

Organs of posterior mediastinum

(ventral aspect, schematic drawing).

Three regions in which the esophagus

is narrowed are shown:

A = termed upper sphincter (at the

level of the cricoid cartilage);

B = termed middle sphincter (at the

level of the aortic arch);

C = termed lower sphincter (at the

level of the diaphragm).

Posterior Mediastinum: Mediastinal Organs 279

Organs of posterior mediastinum (anterior aspect).

Inferior segment of posterior mediastinum (anterior aspect).

Veins of the posterior wall of thoracic and

abdominal cavity (schematic drawing).

1 Right vagus nerve

2 Thyroid gland and trachea

3 Intercostal nerve

4 Aortic arch

5 Azygos vein

6 Posterior intercostal artery

7 Greater splanchnic nerve

8 Diaphragm

9 Liver

10 Proper hepatic artery and hepatic plexus

11 Left recurrent laryngeal nerve

12 Inferior cervical cardiac nerves

13 Left vagus nerve and left recurrent laryngeal

nerve

14 Left primary bronchus

15 Thoracic aorta and left vagus nerve

16 Esophagus and esophageal plexus

17 Thoracic duct

18 Spleen

19 Anterior gastric plexus and stomach (divided)

20 Splenic artery and splenic plexus

21 Celiac trunk and celiac plexus

22 Pancreas

23 Ramus communicans

24 Sympathetic trunk and sympathetic ganglion

25 Posterior intercostal vein and artery

and intercostal nerve

26 Right brachiocephalic vein

27 Superior vena cava

28 Ascending lumbar vein

29 Lumbar veins

30 Right external iliac vein

31 Trachea

32 Accessory hemiazygos vein

33 Posterior intercostal veins

34 Hemiazygos vein

35 Inferior vena cava

36 Median sacral vein

37 Internal iliac vein

280 Posterior Mediastinum: Mediastinal Organs

Mediastinal organs (right lateral aspect). Right lung and pleura of right half of the thorax have been removed.

1 Posterior intercostal arteries

2 Ganglion of sympathetic trunk

3 Sympathetic trunk

4 Vessels and nerves of the intercostal space

(from above: posterior intercostal vein and

artery and intercostal nerve)

5 Right primary bronchus

6 Ramus communicans of sympathetic trunk

7 Esophageal plexus (branches

of right vagus nerve)

8 Pulmonary veins

9 Posterior intercostal vein

10 Azygos vein

11 Esophagus

12 Greater splanchnic nerve

13 Right vagus nerve

14 Right phrenic nerve

15 Inferior cervical cardiac branches

of vagus nerve

16 Aortic arch

17 Superior vena cava

18 Right pulmonary artery

19 Heart with pericardium

20 Diaphragm

25

26

27

16

28

13

20

24

29

30

31

32

33

281

23

24

24