mediastinum

noun

me·di·as·ti·num ˌmē-dē-ə-ˈstī-nəm

plural mediastina ˌmē-dē-ə-ˈstī-nə

: the space in the chest between the pleural sacs of the lungs that contains all the tissues and organs of the chest except the lungs and pleurae

also : this space with its contents

mediastinal

ˌmē-dē-ə-ˈstī-nᵊl

adjective

Examples of mediastinum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The mediastinum of your body is a space that keeps your lungs and other chest structures (e.g., heart, esophagus, windpipe) separate.4 For example, two 2020 studies found that patients had swollen lymph nodes in the mediastinum area. —

Korin Miller, Health, 25 Sep. 2023 The swollen lymph nodes in the mediastinum were also associated with a higher risk of admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). —

Korin Miller, Health, 25 Sep. 2023 There was now significant air in the space between his lungs, known as the mediastinum, which had tracked up into his neck under the skin. —

Douglas G. Adler, Discover Magazine, 14 Dec. 2021 The mediastinum is ordinarily a sterile space, but easily becomes infected when an esophageal rupture occurs. —

Douglas G. Adler, Discover Magazine, 14 Dec. 2021 Based on the CT scan results, Matt’s mediastinum only seemed to have air in it and did not look to be infected just yet. —

Douglas G. Adler, Discover Magazine, 14 Dec. 2021 If leaked into the trachea, these contents could have led to pneumonia, or if into the mediastinum, to sepsis and vascular collapse. —

W Roy Smythe, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2011 Limited-stage disease is used to describe lung cancer that’s only found within one lung, and may be found in the mediastinum between the lungs. —

Amanda MacMillan, Health.com, 23 July 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mediastinum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.