Imaging findings of lesions in the middle and posterior mediastinum

Lesions in the middle and posterior mediastinum are relatively rare, but there are some useful radiological clues that can be used to diagnose them precisely. It is useful to determine the affected mediastinal compartment and the locations of the main thoracic nerves on medical images for diagnosing such mediastinal lesions. Neurogenic tumors can occur in the middle mediastinum, although they generally arise as posterior mediastinal tumors. Based on the above considerations, we review various characteristic imaging findings of middle and posterior mediastinal lesions, and their differential diagnoses.