Expansion
Brachiocephalic veins, Aortic arch, Thymus, Trachea, Lymphatics, (o)Esophagus
Expansion
- B - Brachiocephalic veins and the superior vena cava
- A - Aortic arch and its three branches
- T - Thymus (or its fatty remnant in adults)
- T - Trachea
- L - Lymph nodes and the thoracic duct
- E - (O)esophagus
The vagus and phrenic nerves, the left recurrent laryngeal nerve and the sympathetic trunks also pass through. Everything here is squeezed between the manubrium in front and the upper four thoracic vertebrae behind, which is why a retrosternal goitre or an aortic arch aneurysm so readily compresses the trachea or oesophagus.