Posterior mediastinal tumors

Abstract

The posterior mediastinal space anatomically includes loose areolar connective tissue, the sympathetic chain, the proximal portions of the intercostal neurovascular bundles, the thoracic spinal ganglia, oesophagus and thoracic duct. Most tumours of the posterior mediastinum (Table 1) in children are of neurogenic origin, the majority being ganglion-cell tumours. In children, mediastinal nerve-sheath tumours, peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumours (PNET) and rhabdomyosarcoma occur less frequently while paraganglioma and chemodectoma are rare. Non-neoplastic masses in the posterior mediastinum can mimic tumour and must be considered in the differential diagnosis.