Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 16, 2025

Author Spotlight: A 3D Digital Model for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Nodules
Published on: May 19, 2023
A diagnostic approach to mediastinal masses in clinical practice
Rebecca Mura1, Svitlana Pochepnia2, Daria Kifjak2
1Department of Medicine and Surgery (diMeC), University of Parma, Parma 43125, Italy.
None:
Mediastinal masses represent a heterogeneous group of entities characterized by a variety of histopathological and radiological features. Imaging plays a pivotal role in the detection and interpretation of mediastinal abnormalities. CT remains the modality of choice due to its high spatial and temporal resolution and its ability to assess tissue composition, including the detection of fluid, fat, and calcifications. MRI represents a complementary tool in specific scenarios, such as differentiating complicated cysts from solid lesions or identifying intracellular fat content, as seen in thymic hyperplasia. The differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses relies primarily on the location of the mass and tissue composition, integrated with clinical characteristics of the patient. This review discusses the most common mediastinal masses in adults, providing a practical approach to their differentiation mainly based on the predominant density pattern and location.
Related Concept Videos
Mitral Stenosis II: Clinical features and Diagnostic Tests
Myocarditis II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Mitral Regurgitation II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Radiological Investigation III: Pulmonary Angiogram and PET Scan
Pulmonary Angiogram
A Pulmonary Angiogram is an invasive procedure involving injecting a contrast medium through a catheter threaded into the pulmonary artery or the right side of the heart to visualize the pulmonary vasculature. Computed Tomography (CT) scans have mainly replaced this...
Aneurysm II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Pulmonary Tuberculosis IV
Several diagnostic approaches are used to detect TB. The conventional method is the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST), also known as the Mantoux test. However, this method has...

