The International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group advocated for a three-compartment mediastinal division scheme based on what type of imaging?
The division scheme is based on axial computed tomography (CT) images.
What are the names of the three mediastinal compartments in the CT-based model?
Prevascular (anterior), visceral (middle), and paravertebral (posterior).
The prevascular, or anterior, mediastinal compartment consists of everything anterior to the _____.
pericardium
The visceral, or middle, mediastinum contains the heart, pericardium, aortic arch, trachea, and what major veins?
It contains the innominate veins and superior vena cava (SVC).
What is the posterior boundary of the middle (visceral) mediastinum on a CT scan?
A vertical line connecting a point on each thoracic vertebral body at 1 cm posterior to its anterior margin.
What condition is characterized by dilation of collateral veins in the upper thorax and neck, and edema and plethora of the face, neck, and upper torso due to extrinsic compression?
Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome.
What are the two most common malignant etiologies of Superior Vena Cava (SVC) syndrome?
Bronchogenic carcinoma and lymphoma.
Hoarseness in the context of mediastinal disease may result from compression or invasion of which nerve?
The recurrent laryngeal nerve.
Thymomas are classically associated with what autoimmune disorder?
Myasthenia gravis.
On a CT scan, mediastinal lymph nodes are considered abnormally enlarged if they are greater than what diameter in the short axis?
Greater than 1 cm in diameter in the short axis.
The presence of fat density within a mediastinal mass on CT could suggest etiologies like a lipoma, thymolipoma, or _____.
teratoma
What nuclear imaging technique relies on probes like 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) which are trapped in metabolically active neoplastic cells?
Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
What is a significant limitation of PET scanning in distinguishing benign from malignant thymic masses?
Most thymomas have low FDG uptake due to their relatively indolent nature.
Radioiodine scanning is pathognomonic for what condition when a positive result is found in the mediastinum?
Ectopic thyroid tissue.
What is the name of the minimally invasive procedure that uses a bronchoscope with an ultrasound probe to perform transbronchial needle aspiration of mediastinal tumors adjacent to the airways?
Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).
EBUS-TBNA is useful in diagnosing sarcoidosis manifesting as mediastinal adenopathy, obviating the need for a more invasive _____.
surgical mediastinoscopy
What is a major limitation of EBUS-TBNA in the initial diagnosis of lymphoma, particularly Hodgkin lymphoma?
The amount of tissue provided may be inadequate for histologic subtyping.
What biopsy technique, similar to EBUS-TBNA, uses a gastroscope to sample mediastinal nodes, particularly in the posterior subcarinal region?
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)–guided sampling.
Transthoracic needle aspiration is most commonly performed under CT guidance for masses in which mediastinal compartment?
The anterior compartment.
What surgical procedure provides direct access to the paratracheal and subcarinal lymph nodes for biopsy?
Cervical mediastinoscopy.
The surgical procedure known as an anterior mediastinotomy, or the _____ procedure, provides access to lymph nodes in the aortopulmonary window.
Chamberlain
What is the term for the normal enlargement of thymic tissue that can occur following chemotherapy for lymphoma, mimicking disease recurrence?
Thymic rebound.
Extragonadal germ cell tumors (GCTs) found in the mediastinum are classified into what three groups?
Teratoma, seminoma, and nonseminomatous GCT.