What is mediastinal surgery?
Mediastinal surgery includes several different types of procedures, which are used to biopsy or remove abnormal growths that form in the area that separates the lungs in the middle of your chest. This area, called the mediastinum, is surrounded by the breastbone in front, the spine in back, and the lungs on each side. The mediastinum contains the heart, aorta, esophagus, thymus and trachea. Mediastinal tumors are mostly made of reproductive (germ) cells or develop in neurogenic (nerve), lymphatic, or mesenchymal (soft) tissue. In some cases, such as myasthenia gravis, the mass is caused by an increase of thymus cells, called thymic hyperplasia.
