Mediastinum

Diseases of the mediastinum

Widened mediastinum on X-ray

A widened mediastinum is an extremely important finding on chest x-ray (CXR). Most importantly aortic rupture and fracture of thoracic vertebrae must be ruled out. Aortic rupture and fracture of thoracic vertebrae are usually caused by high velocity blunt trauma, but aortic rupture could be caused by other causes, for example, Marfan's or hypertension plus atherosclerosis.