What are the common mediastinal shadows?

summary

Mediastinitis can be divided into acute suppurative infection and chronic fibrous lesions. The former has symptoms of acute infection, while the latter can cause superior vena cava compression syndrome or other mediastinal organ compression. X-ray showed that the shadow of mediastinum was widened on both sides, and the above mediastinum was obvious. The outline of both sides was blurred due to inflammation involving the surrounding pleura. The poststernal density of lateral chest film increased. The outline of trachea and aortic arch is blurred. The formation of abscess, can be seen on one or both sides of the mediastinum prominent arc shadow, trachea, esophagus compression displacement. Mediastinal emphysema, abscess and fluid level, pleural effusion, hydropneumothorax and other signs may also appear. Esophagography with lipiodol or organic iodine solution can confirm the site of esophageal perforation, esophageal bronchial fistula or esophageal pleural fistula. Computed tomography can early detect mediastinitis caused by severe deep neck infection.

What are the common mediastinal shadows?

Mediastinal tumors are a group of tumors originated from mediastinum, including thymoma, intrathoracic goiter, bronchial cyst, dermoid cyst, teratoma, lymphosarcoma, malignant lymphoma, pericardial cyst, lipoma, neurogenic tumor, esophageal cyst and so on. Most of them are benign

Intrathoracic thyroid tumors are mostly part of cervical thyroid tumors extending into the mediastinum. Sometimes, all thyroid tumors are located in the anterior superior mediastinum, sometimes in the posterior mediastinum. Thymoma is rare in children, only occasionally accompanied with myasthenia gravis. Thymic hypertrophy is common in normal infants aged 4-15 months, but it does not cause symptoms of tracheal compression and airway obstruction. With the increase of children's age, thymoma can spontaneously degenerate.

Lymphangioma and hemangioma can also be seen in the mediastinum of children. Among the 119 cases mentioned above, 14 cases of lymphangioma extended from the neck tumor to the anterior superior mediastinum. In this group, a 5-month-old boy suffered from lymphangioma in the neck and mediastinum. Due to severe pressure on the respiratory tract, the tumor was removed after emergency tumor puncture and decompression.

matters needing attention

The growth of the tumor is slow and can reach a large volume. Most of the patients have no self-conscious symptoms before causing compression symptoms. It can be complicated with infection, bleeding and malignant transformation, and has the potential risk of adhesion and bursting into the trachea and bronchus. The X-ray film of teratoma may have the shadow of bones and teeth.